


the streets are cold in tokyo

by pugsfilms



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Car Racing, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Yakuza, Blood and Violence, F/M, Gambling, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, Organized Crime, References to Drugs, Spanish Speaking Oikawa, Street Racing, Weapons Dealing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:46:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 27,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29555127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pugsfilms/pseuds/pugsfilms
Summary: It's tough being a girl in a man's world.Everyone knew that phrase; yet it took a whole meaning in the world of drug lords and gangsters. When women went missing or were killed regularly at the hands of criminals, it was hard to believe that any woman could find her place among murderers and scoundrels. It was no surprise that there was confusion when a set of young women had found their way into Tokyo's underground and could stand comfortably in a world driven by greed and deception. However, no one knew anything about them; who were they, why were they here, they were labyrinths of lies and secrets that were locked behind walls of stone."You should be careful with your cards. One wrong move and you could lose it all.""There's a gun pointed at your head. How are you sure there isn't a bullet in the barrel?""I'm willing to take my chances."
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Raining Diamonds

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was also inspired by the [street racer fanart](https://aikk00.tumblr.com/post/633080161345126400/i-wonder-if-you-know-how-they-live-in-tokyo) by @aikk00 on tumblr!
> 
> links to [the cars I chose for our new characters](https://pugsfilms.tumblr.com/post/644622889038053376/cars-in-the-streets-are-cold-in-tokyo)
> 
> so update: this fic was inspired by deciphered by @hoeneymilktea but it’s more street racer au over anything and does not follow the plot of deciphered at all.
> 
> *note! i am not a native speaker of spanish, french or korean! however, i did take french classes for four years and am currently learning korean. the spanish used in this fic is based off of the limited latin american spanish i was exposed to growing up with hispanic friends and the castilian spanish seen in the fic is based off of what my friends who took castilian spanish classes have taught me.*
> 
> *i apologize for any inaccuracies and am open to corrections and light criticisms of my use of any of the languages. i will use each of the languages sparingly unless i 100% know and understand the meaning of the words used.*

_Tokyo was a dangerous place; the city was corrupt to its very core, with police turning a blind eye once they were paid a pretty penny and politicians became mere puppets to the real people in power: the Yakuza. The citizens lived blissfully unaware as these gangs ran their lives._

_Most gangs ran small, local operations; it was either drug dealing, weapons trafficking, extortion, or human trafficking. Others dealt in money laundering. Amateurs were the only ones pulled off burglaries and heists; only an amateur would bring attention to himself._

_The criminals who were the worst were the extremely rich. They always hid behind a façade of jewels and lace, their honey-laced words and filled pockets providing them with a golden cage of security._

_There were several rules to keeping such a lifestyle:_

_No. 1: Trust no one._

_Criminals lived based off of a power-hungry hierarchy, where your closest friend can quickly go from handing you a briefcase of money to stabbing you in the back with a knife. No one ever trusted anyone in a world of crime; you either killed them first or you got killed first. Your back should never be leaning against anything unless it’s an iron throne. Your eyes should always open in case someone decides they’d rather have you six feet under than alive. Always be alert and have your ears pricked up to hear any sound; you’ll be running a lot. Police and rival gangs will try and chase you down for the "right reasons". There is never a right reason._

_No. 2: Money runs the world, not love._

_Whoever came up with the phrase "money can’t buy everything" is a liar. Money was what ran the world of crime and you could get away with anything if you had money. Anyone in the government or law enforcement wouldn’t dare touch someone who could flash a pretty check in their face; so the more money you had, the more protection you had. Paper bills can’t protect you forever, but no one ever said gold couldn’t. Money was your safety blanket when it came to committing a crime._

_No. 3: In order to be a criminal, you had to learn how to be reckless, not thoughtless._

_There was no possible way for you to be a criminal without being a little reckless. Criminal activity thrives on human shamelessness. However, being reckless doesn’t mean being thoughtless. Being thoughtless is how people get thrown into jail; sure, they gained a reputation from it but it was no legacy. Those who had legacies were the ones who could live their days in infamy and have no shackles bound to their wrists. Find a cover and live by it. Calculate every move you make as you rise to the peak of urban society. Perhaps you’re the owner of a successful business. No one would ever assume the owner of something so successful would ever be a criminal. Successful people were happy people; a happy person didn’t have a reason to commit a crime._

_No. 4: Always clean up after yourself._

_That’s how most criminals are caught; they’re sloppy and don’t clean up after themselves. You don’t want to get caught now, do you? Always clean up after yourself; there will be no blood, no bodies, no receipts, nothing that can incriminate you. Weapons are to be hidden and transactions are to go quickly and silently. Don’t leave receipts or paper trails; pay by cash or valuables if you’re going to be dealing in the criminal world._

_And lastly, No. 5: Indulge yourself._

_Just because you’re a criminal doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Half of the appeal of a criminal is about being free to do as you please. Go to parties, make acquaintances, live life as you would. Sure, your money didn’t come cleanly but whose money ever did? Spend that money on pretty clothes, luxury cars, and lavish houses. However, be wary how you indulge yourself. Too quick of spending after a crime has been committed will make you suspicious. Work slowly when you’re rising up from the ashes of poverty. Rewards will come far quicker than you’ll expect._

_So now that you know the game, are you ready to play? The gamble? Your life._

***

"You’ll have to wait, sir. The tables are booked as of the moment. We’ll have a table ready for you in a few minutes"

Light jazz music mingled in with the sounds of wheels spinning and coins dropping. Occasionally, the excited cries and screams of a lucky player would break through the calm and quiet of the casino.

"I’m actually here for the Midas package." The man gave the waiter a knowing look as the latter nodded.

"Of course. Follow me." The waiter held out his hand and took the man over to the back of the casino, where a small entrance stood, with two large security guards blocking the entrance.

"Midas package."

The two guards pushed open the two doors and the waiter led the man past the metal detectors before going downstairs.

The level below the casino seemed even more luxurious than the building above it, with traditional Japanese architecture used to set it apart from its more modernized counterpart above. The ceilings were vaulted with wood while the walls were covered in murals of peacocks and phoenixes. Golden lanterns hung from the ceiling, surrounding a large crystal chandelier, casting a warm glow down upon the gamblers below. The floors were lined with dark wood and red carpet as fragile Qin vases and gold statues decorated the large space.

"Table three appears to be ready for you. Right this way."

The waiter led the man down to a table, where the dealer was shuffling his deck of cards. Quickly, the man was handed a drink, a cigar, and several women had joined his side to watch the game. It seemed like another night for the casino.

High above the gamblers below, sitting in a leather chair behind a closed oak door, was a young woman. The sound of chips falling and machines rolling had become background noise to her as she looked through a stack of papers, her brow creased as she frowned.

"Ms. Mitsuma?" Her eyes flickered up to the woman standing at the door, who was clutching a tablet to her chest. "The Midas Lounge is full now. Should we open up The Neptune Lounge next?"

She took in a small breath before returning to her work, her eyes moving back to the contract she had on her desk.

"Open it up. Open up the Jupiter Lounge if it runs out of space too." She replied.

"Yes, Ma’am. Oh, and one more thing?" She watched as the woman opened the door wider, revealing a girl with short brown hair, big diamond hoop earrings, and a pair of yellow tinted sunglasses. "Ms. Akira Somei is here to see you."

Yuri carefully placed down her papers as Akira came in taking a seat in the chair opposite to her, the door closing behind her to leave the two alone in peace.

"Yuri! How’s my best girl doin’?!" She grinned as Yuri gave her a soft smile.

"It’s been going okay. What are you doing here? I thought you’d be working at this hour?" She inquired, with Akira waving off the matter as she set her purse down on the desk.

"Psh, I only get on my knees if I feel like it. Lately, my ideal pool of clients has been running dry. I think I’ll stick to my other hobbies for the time being. Speaking of other hobbies, are you coming to the race tonight? It’s gonna be one of the biggest in Tokyo." Akira imparted, making Yuri purse her lips as she thought about her friend’s offer.

"I don’t know. I’m awfully busy at the casino as is." She shrugged, making Akira tsk as she wagged her finger.

"Come on, Yuri! You never come to any of the races. Besides, Cypher’s gonna be there." Akira said, her tone teasing the latter as Yuri rolled her eyes.

"That gives me even less incentive to come. I’d rather be here than around that prick." She scoffed as Akira sighed, smiling at the girl across from her as she shook her head. The girl was hopeless.

"You can come for me then. I’m going to be there tonight and I need my best friend. I know you like to race and you can let that pretty 911 of yours steal the show again." Akira suggested as Yuri’s annoyance subsided, hesitating slightly. Akira smirked at her as Yuri took a deep breath and thought about her offer. She knew she had won when she mentioned showing off her car.

"Akira, I’m not even on the roster. How am I supposed to race?" She asked, resting her chin in her hand as she gave Akira an apprehensive look. Akira pulled a piece of paper out of her purse, placing it down on the desk for Yuri to see. It was the full roster for the race, complete with the names of the racers. Yuri’s eyes quickly landed on her name, which was in the slot to race against several other cars in the first race.

_Yuri Mitsuma - Seijoh Brawlers_  
_Ren Omimi - Inarizaki Bois_  
_Nako Tsurugi - Nekoma Crew_  
_Nishinoya Yuu - Karasuno Killers_  
_Akinori Konoha - Fukurodani Squad_

She looked at Akira with a raised eyebrow as she rested her chin on the back of her hand. Akira merely gave her a victorious smirk in response.

"Where are you? I thought you were racing?" She asked, giving her an apprehensive frown as she searched the paper for her friend’s name. Akira gave her a bright grin as she shook her head.

"That’s the surprise! You’re racing for me instead!" Akira giggled as Yuri’s expression changed to shock. Her eyes widened as she was just about to tell her off when the latter stopped her. "And no refusing because the race is tonight and there’s no way I’m winning against Nekoma or Inarizaki."

Yuri rubbed her temples as her face scrunched up in frustration. This was not how she was planning for her night to go. She gritted her teeth before taking a deep breath and relaxing her expression. She gave Akira a stern look as she picked up the office’s phone and dialed a number.

" _Yes, Boss_?" Her assistant’s voice rang bright and chipper on the other side.

"Rieko, watch the casino for me. I’m going out for a few hours. I should be back before 2 in the morning, so keep your eyes on things for now. No one enters my office, got it?"

" _Yes, Boss. I’ll make sure everything is in order while you’re gone_." She replied before Yuri ended the call and shook her head at Akira.

"Fine. I’ll come race this time." She sighed as she got up, dusting off her black leather jacket before grabbing her purse. She put on her large sunglasses, her heeled boots clicking against the wood floors as she walked out.

Akira squealed as she followed Yuri, scrambling after her as Yuri locked up her office. She tucked the keys into her purse as she looked up at the two guards standing at her door.

"I’m going out for a bit. Make sure no one gets in." She told them before walking away with Akira.

"By the way, Nako’s coming out today too." She smiled at Yuri scoffed, smiling wryly as she readjusted her black gloves.

"I’m aware. Of course she’d be coming out. That girl just loves to show off that Mercedes of hers." Yuri replied. The two girls headed to elevators, heading to the ground floor. They made their way over to a secret door behind the bar, which led down to Yuri’s personal garage. Akira’s white 1995 Suzuki Cappuccino was parked next to her three cars, looking a bit out of place next to the three foreign models. Akira headed over to her car as Yuri fished out a pair of keys from her bag.

"So, are you gonna ride in your Porsche today? Or are we taking one of your other cars out?" She asked as Yuri clicked a button on her keys and the lights of her 1997 Porsche 911 GT2 lit up.

"My Porsche has never let me down during a race, so we’re taking him back out for a spin." She said, patting the hood of her car before opening the door and swinging in. She started up the car, indulging in the harsh growl of the car before buckling up and driving out.

Yuri was familiar with the Tokyo street racing scene, having raced a few times. However, she was far too busy to attend most races, only going when she wanted to go out and have a little fun. She liked the thrill of street racing and she loved to show off her car. It was a one of a kind car and she deserved to show off what she had worked so hard to earn.

It was quarter till midnight when they finally arrived, with Yuri’s car catching the eyes of everyone at the meet up spot. Yuri rolled her car between a Honda Integra and a Mitsubishi 3000GT before climbing out, smirking at all the surprised expressions she was getting.

Two men, one with dark curls and another with pink hair, approached her, smiling as the one with the curls crossed his arms.

"Diamond. It’s been a while. We didn’t know you’d be racing with the Brawlers tonight." He said as she removed her sunglasses, scoffing as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Mattsun. Makki." She greeted them, smirking as she left them behind. The two gave her an astonished look as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. She walked over to a different pit, which was filled with red cars. She stopped when she reached a petite girl with long black hair, who was dressed in a tartan coat. Like Yuri, the girl stood out of place among the mini-skirts and cropped t-shirts with her rather modest, but elegant clothes, subtly distancing herself from the girls of the racing scene and establishing herself as a more refined breed of street racer.

"Fancy seeing you here, Nako Tsurugi." The girl turned around and smiled sarcastically the moment she saw Yuri.

"Yuri Mitsuma. Finally crawled out of your casino? I thought you were too busy swimming in gold to care about a street race. Welcome back." She said, holding out her hand as a greeting. Yuri shook it as she smirked.

"Just so you know, I’m beating your ass tonight. Enjoy third place while it lasts, Tsurugi. It suits you." She stuck out her tongue in between her grin as Nako grinned at the challenge.

"Winner gets ramen." Nako offered, getting a soft scoff before Yuri gave her hand a firm squeeze.

"Deal."

Yuri let go of Nako’s hand as she crossed her arms, shaking her head as she tucked her tongue into the hollow of her cheek.

"And I thought I was the one with a casino. What’s up with you making deals?" She asked as Nako smiled coyly.

"I’m a business woman, Mitsuma. Making deals is part of my job." She replied. Just then, a girl with light brown hair ran up behind Nako, clutching a tablet. She stood slightly taller than Nako, which was exacerbated by the high heels she was wearing.

"Nako, we just got an incoming offer from a potential client down in Kyoto. They’re willing to meet up at the port in a few weeks to buy a whole shipment." She informed the raven haired girl, whose mouth twisted into an uncertain frown.

"Have their info run through our databases. I’ll look into it later." She said, getting a nod as the other girl noted the information down. Yuri’s smile softened as the girl turned over to her, giving her a small wave and a sweet smile.

"Sakura Inochi. It’s nice to see you again." She said, bowing her head in acknowledgement as Sakura nodded.

"It’s nice to see you as well, Yuri. You look wonderful." She grinned, giggling as Yuri’s smile widened. "Excuse me, but I have to attend to something."

Sakura walked away, a cellphone in hand as she dialed a number. Yuri’s eyes followed Sakura as she walked over to a different pit, where a tall man with white and black hair had pulled her into his arms.

"I still don’t know how you managed to convince that sweet girl to come work for you. She’s an angel." Yuri commented as Nako nodded in agreement.

"The poor thing needed the help; I did what I could. I gave her a new life in exchange for her loyalty. Simple as that. I could say the same for your Rieko. That girl’s even younger that Sakura; she’s got far more potential and yet she’s working for you." Nako stated, her eyes diverting down to the silver rings on her fingers.

"Tsurugi!" Nako grimaced at the sound of her name being called out, sighing as a tall man with dark, messy hair approached her from behind. He threw an arm over her shoulder, giving her a lazy grin as he looked down at her.

"Whatcha doin’ here all by yourself, Short Stuff? Race is gonna start soon." He drawled, making Nako roll her eyes as she gingerly plucked his arm off of her.

"Hands off the merchandise, D.K. If you’re gonna call something small, maybe take a look at yourself first." She gave Yuri one last look. "See you at the track, Mitsuma. Get ready to pay for my ramen."

Nako turned around and stomped off, ignoring the man behind her as her brow creased in annoyance. Yuri smiled, amused at Nako’s little outburst of anger as she headed back to the Brawlers pit. When she returned, she noticed Akira leaning against the hood of her car, talking with Iwaizumi, a racer in the second race and one of Seijoh’s top mechanics. 

Yuri rolled her eyes as she saw Iwaizumi’s face turned bright red as Akira whispered something into his ear. Akira was just as shameless as she remembered her to be.

"Well well, what do we have here?"

Yuri turned around, her expression immediately changing as soon as she saw the owner of that voice.

"Cypher." She greeted him shortly as he smirked, uncrossing his arms as he walked towards her. Yuri was backed up onto the hood of her car, her head turned away and her eyes averted from his as he caged her in between his arms. He gripped the two sides of the car tightly as he leaned in, being so close she could feel his breath against her face.

" _Princesa_. I didn’t know you were coming to race today." He smirked as she turned to look him in the eyes, scowling in annoyance. "I missed you, Yuri."

Yuri shoved him off her as she glared at him. She smoothed out her shorts, scoffing as she composed herself.

"Missed me, my ass. Bastard." She snapped, making Cypher chuckle as he came closer, gently tipping her chin to look up at him.

"You’re the same as always, Ms. Diamond. Such a pretty face, but a not-so-nice mouth." His thumb stroked her bottom lip. "You know, you can use that mouth for other things."

Yuri grabbed the hand that was holding her face and pulled it away from her.

"And you should know to take a hint. I’m here to race, not to be another bitch on your arm."

She muttered another curse as she walked over to the driver’s side of her car. She flipped him off as she swung in, making the latter smile as he shook his head. Yuri took a deep breath to calm herself down before putting on her sunglasses and turning on her car. The engine of the Porsche roared to life before she drove out of her spot, taking a moment to roll down the window to look at him. She pulled down her sunglasses as she gave him an apprehensive look.

"My race is going to start soon. If you win yours afterwards, I’ll indulge you in a drink sometime. In exchange, I want one hundred percent of my payout." She said, making him smirk as he leaned down towards her. She held out her gloved hand, which he shook to seal the deal.

"I will take you up on that offer. I don’t mind losing a few hundred thousand yen if it means a date with you." He said as Yuri let go of his hand, frowning in disgust.

"It’s not a date if I get my payout. This is strictly business." She pushed her glasses back up as she leaned back into her seat. "Don’t make me regret my words."

She rolled up her window and drove out to the track, where the cars were all lined up and ready to go. As she drove out, she couldn’t help but think about how Cypher had trapped her with his arms, that sinful smirk on his face as he leaned in closer and closer. Even if she found him to be sleazy and gross, she wouldn’t deny the sex appeal he had.

"Damn you, Tooru Oikawa... Damn you and your fucking pretty face and tattoos..." She muttered as she took her place by a red Mercedes SLR McLaren, revving up her engine to provoke the driver. She rolled down her window and waved with a sarcastic smile on her face. Nako was seated in the Mercedes, grinning dangerously as she eyed the flag at the start line.

The flag went down as the announcer screamed "GO!", the cars all speeding down the road at once.

Meanwhile, the crowd cheered loudly as the remaining racers all watched the cars quickly get smaller and smaller. One racer, a girl with medium length grey hair and green eyes, frowned at a certain pair of cars.

"Hey Sly Fox, who are those two? The ones in the 911 and the Mercedes." She asked as a man with white hair looked over at her to answer her question.

"Ah, I forgot you were new. Those two aren’t frequent racers so they don’t come out very often. Typically they’ll come to a big race like this to compete against each other." He replied as he started lighting a new cigarette.

"The one with the 911 is Diamond. Her real name’s Yuri Mitsuma. They call her Diamond because she always has diamonds on her. An absolute stunner, but has a bitchy attitude. She’s hella rich; she runs a whole bunch of casinos across Tokyo and has so much money from that." He stuck the cigarette between his teeth, his lips closing around it as he took a breath of smoke in. "She’s quite the mystery though; she spent a decent amount of time in Europe and established herself as a top-notch gambling dealer over there. That’s how she was able to afford her Porsche 911. No one knows why she came back to Japan; she just showed up and started making hella bank off of the casinos she operates. That girl’s like a bag of cats and no one’s been able to crack the lock to open her up."

"The tiny one with the Mercedes is Minnie. She also goes by her real name, Nako Tsurugi. They call her Minnie since she’s small like the mouse. She’s a weapons dealer. She’s also a blank slate; all anyone knows is that she ran weapons in South Korea before coming back here. She’s a cute little thing; shame she’s taken." Fox explained, breathing out a puff of smoke as the girl looked over at him, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"She is? By who?" She inquired.

"Well, they aren’t official yet but everyone here knows that she’s D.K.’s girl. She’s the only one who’s managed to keep his interest for so long. I’m not gonna go after one of DK’s girls unless I wanna get my ass beat." He explained.

"Who’s D.K. again? Is he the one that has the rooster head?" He nodded as she took a seat on the hood of her car.

"D.K.‘s short for Drift King. His real name’s Tetsurou Kuroo, but everyone just calls him by his nickname. He runs Nekoma Crew. He’s one of the best drifters in Tokyo." He looked over and pointed to the brunette man who had walked over to talk with Kuroo, sticking his hands into his white bomber jacket as he chatted with the raven haired man.

"That one over there is Cypher. He runs the Seijoh Brawlers. His real name’s Tooru Oikawa. He’s even better at drifting than D.K. and he’s one of the best racers overall in Tokyo. He spent a couple of years in Argentina, so don’t be surprised if he starts speaking Spanish; he honestly doesn’t care if you don’t understand him. Diamond’s probably the only one that does; that’s most likely why he’s interested in her." He explained as he leaned against the hood of her car, rolling the cigarette between his fingers.

"Wait, Cypher’s interested in Diamond? Why?" She asked as Fox shrugged, his eyes shifting over to his gang, who were causing their usual mischief.

"Who knows? Maybe he’s got a thing for girls from Europe." He looked over towards the Fukurodani Squad pit and smirked as his eyes landed on a certain brunette girl, her eyes focused on her tablet as her other hand was shooing away a man with black and white spiky hair.

"That one over there? That’s Koutarou Bokuto, otherwise known as Blackjack. He’s the loud one you were asking about earlier. And the pretty little thing standing next to him is Sakura Inochi. She’s Tsurugi’s manager and personal assistant. She runs all the numbers while Tsurugi runs the deals." He sighed as she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

The girl next to him rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

"What, you have a thing for girls you can’t have? Besides, Inochi looks like she’s pretty involved with that Blackjack guy. She wouldn’t wanna have sex with a sleazy guy like you." She nudged his arm as she watched Sakura dial a number on her phone and call someone.

"Oh shut up, Ayumi. What would you know? Besides, I wasn’t talking the time when you were practically eye-fucking that one mechanic from Karasuno." He teased her, making her shove him off her car as she turned away, her ears burning red with embarrassment.

"Okay, that was different. I wasn’t doing anything gross like you’re implying; I just happened to notice he’s quite good-looking. Stop making it gross, Kita." She tipped her chin as Kita chuckled. "Besides, you were no better when I asked to join Inarizaki."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever makes you happy, love.” He smirked lazily as his two troublesome twin racers ran over to them.

"Vixen! Fox! They’re comin’ up!" The grey haired one informed them as Ayumi slid off the hood of her car, squinting her eyes to look for them. Kita tossed aside his used cigarette and stomped it out, standing next to Ayumi as he looked out for the racers. He soon spotted Yuri’s shiny white 911, which was neck in neck with Nako’s red SLR. The two were the first to come up, with the other racers following closely behind. The race was close, but Yuri had managed to push forward past Nako and take first place.

She did one full revolution for her exit spin, her tires squealing against the asphalt as she bore tread marks into it. The crowd roared as she stepped out, grinning as she basked in the attention.

“The winner of the first race - Yuri Mitsuma of the Seijoh Brawlers in the 911! Second place goes to Nako Tsurugi of Nekoma Crew in the SLR! Third place - Ren Omimi of the Inarizaki Boys in the RSX!” The announcer boomed as the crowd cheered for Yuri.

Ayumi turned her attention over to the twins, where the blonde one was getting ready for the second race, checking his engine with their mechanic. His eyes flickered over to her before he smirked. He closed the hood before gesturing for her to come over. Ayumi rolled her eyes before walking over, crossing her arms as she stood in front of the tall racer.

“What do you want, Atsumu?” She asked shortly, frowning as he leaned against the hood of his car.

“Come on, Doll. Don’t be like that.” Atsumu crooned, giving her that fuckboy smirk she had gotten so used to seeing. It wasn’t easy being the only girl in an all boys gang like the Inarizaki Boys; she had only asked to join the Inarizaki Boys since she knew one of their mechanics, Michinari Akagi.

Akagi had sat next to her in an Sociology class in university. The tall man was always a few minutes late to class, haphazardly holding his textbooks in one arm while the other had a coffee in hand. Akagi generally had been a pleasant seatmate and was fun to talk to; he had asked her out on a date but nothing ever came of it. It wasn’t until she had asked him to do a tune-up on her car did he introduce her to the Tokyo street racing scene; Ayumi had an eccentric uncle who was obsessed with cars when she was growing up and she often spent time listening to him drone on and on about different cars and their parts among other things. Ayumi had received a 2005 Toyota Celica GT as a gift from her uncle when she had been accepted into the Tokyo Institute of Technology as an engineering major. She’d eventually needed money in her third year at university when her father had lost his job at a soap making factory and had thought about fixing up the car to sell it. Akagi offered her the chance to earn money to cover for her tuition costs and to have a little fun.

When she had first joined Inarizaki, Ayumi had been offered a cigarette and a chance to sleep with the gang’s leader, Shinsuke Kita, or as he was better known as, Sly Fox. She denied both and had a rough few days of the Inarizaki racers seeing her as more as a piece of ass than a legitimate racer; nothing a few sharp glares and a few whacks to the head from Aran, their head mechanic, couldn’t fix. The racers eventually dialed back their flirtatious advances as Ayumi earned their respect as a pretty decent racer herself. She didn’t win all of her races, but with the ones she did win, she earned enough money to cover her for her last years of school.

“Don’t you have a race to get to, Miya? You wouldn’t want someone from Karasuno or Seijoh to take your chance at winning the ten million yen prize tonight now would you?” She asked as the blonde chuckled. He hooked a finger onto one of her belt loops and yanked her forward, making her gasp as she landed in his arms.

“Why don’t ya give me a good luck kiss then, Doll?” He tucked his hand under her chin and lifted it up to look at him. “I’ll take ya out on a date when I win.”

Atsumu was the only one who insisted on flirting with her, even though she had already expressed that she wasn’t interested in hooking up with anyone in Inarizaki; she was young and she had just started working as a product designer for an electronics company. She didn’t need the distraction. However, there was always something about Atsumu that made her heart skip a beat every time he pulled one of his little stunts in an effort to catch her eye. She acknowledged that he was no short of handsome and probably had his fair share of experience in bed; there was no harm in admitting something like that.

Ayumi looked away, avoiding the gaze of those mesmerizing hazel eyes as she cleared her throat.

“Miya, we shouldn’t do this here.” She said, her face warming up slightly from how close they were. Before things could get any more awkward, Atsumu’s twin Osamu arrived. He yanked Ayumi out of his brother’s arms before smacking the back of his head.

“Stop fuckin’ around wit’ Vixen, asshole. We got a race to get to.” Osamu snapped as his twin rubbed the back of his head, glaring at him. He grumbled, muttering a few curses as he walked over to the driver’s side of his car, not without giving Ayumi a wink.

“Wait for me after the race, Doll. We can work on that kiss after.” He said before he swung his body in and started up his car. He rolled out of his spot and down to the track, leaving Ayumi alone with Osamu. The grey haired man shook his head before turning his attention to Ayumi.

“Ya good, Vixen? I know ma brother can be a pain in the ass.” He asked as she nodded, sticking her hands into the pockets of her black bomber jacket.

“I’m fine. Thanks, ‘Samu. You were always my favorite twin anyways.” She replied, making him smile softly.

“Get ya cute ass over to tha’ platforms. Ya won’t see shit from down here.” He said before shuffling off, leaving Ayumi to take her car up the platforms to watch the race. Ayumi started up her car and drove off to the platforms, where several other cars were parked as well, including Yuri Mitsuma and Nako Tsurugi, the winner and runner-up of the last race.

“Oh? I haven’t seen you around before?” Nako asked as Ayumi climbed onto the hood of her car.

“I’m Ayumi Josei. I go by Vixen. I race for the Inarizaki Boys.” Ayumi introduced herself shortly to them, getting an amused smirk from Yuri.

“Inarizaki?” She scoffed as she crossed her arms. “God, I can’t imagine what kind of bullshit you put up with racing for that boy’s club.”

Ayumi looked over at the girl, whose long legs were crossed as they dangled over the hood of her 911, her back reclining against the windshield. Ayumi smiled wryly as she scoffed.

“You get used to it. The Miyas are little pricks but at least only one’s staring at my ass every two minutes.” She replied, making Nako snicker.

“I’m Nako Tsurugi. That’s Yuri Mitsuma.” Nako pointed to her and Yuri, who had her eyes on the cars below. “I’m assuming you know who we race for?”

Ayumi nodded as she watched the Miyas roll into their spots behind a white Subaru WRX and an orange Mitsubishi Evo.

“Hey Josei, wanna come with us after the race? We’re getting ramen and Kitty Cat over here is covering the check. Baby girl really thought she could beat me.” Yuri said, Nako glaring at her for mentioning her loss.

“Fuck you, Mitsuma.” She snarled, making Yuri’s smirk widened.

“I’ll let you on your birthday, Kitty.” She replied, making Nako turn bright red as her expression quickly switched from anger to shock. She huffed as she turned away, crossing her arms as she held her head up in defiance. Ayumi’s jaw dropped as she covered her mouth. 

“I thought I told you to stop with the ‘Kitty Cat’ and the ‘Kitty’. It’s fucking annoying.” She said, pouting a bit as Yuri chuckled.

“It suits you though; you’re just as tiny and devious as a little cat.” Yuri teased her as Nako smacked her arm, making Yuri grin in reply.

“I think I’ll take you up on that offer, Mitsuma.” Ayumi said, smiling as the cars below revved their engines. She watched as a girl in a tight pink tube dress walked to the center of the track, holding a checkered flag. She flipped back her bleached blonde hair before turning over the announcer.

“5!”

The white WRX revved up its engine.

“4!”

The Miyas’ matching black Skylines flashed their lights.

“3!”

The orange Evo’s tires squealed against the asphalt impatiently.

“2!”

The red Mitsubishi FTO spurt out a cloud of exhaust.

“1!”

The flag flew down and the cars raced past her, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Ayumi looked over to Yuri and Nako, whose eyes were following the cars into the dark roads of Tokyo.

“So, who’s racing tonight? I’m pretty new and I don’t race as often as the regulars. I mostly race as a fill-in.” She asked, her eyes following the Miyas in particular. Hopefully they wouldn’t cause too much trouble on the track tonight.

“The WRX belongs to Hajime Iwaizumi; he races for Seijoh. The Evo’s Ryūnosuke Tanaka; he races for the Karasuno Killers. You obviously know the Skylines. The FTO is Nekoma Crew’s Taketora Yamamoto. The Civic with the gold rims is Fukurodani Squad’s Yamato Sarukui. My bet’s either on Karasuno or Inarizaki; Karasuno’s been getting quite the winning streak since Tyrant joined them and Inarizaki’s always been tough to beat.” Nako explained, her attention switching over her pink painted nails, a delicate compliment to her pretty tartan coat.

“Didn’t you beat Ōmimi in the last race?” Ayumi looked over Nako, whose mouth twisted into a sour frown. “I mean, I guess you didn’t get to race against Fox or the Miyas yet, but I’d say you’re a pretty top-notch racer.”

“That damn racer from Inarizaki tried to ram me from the side; good thing that prick can’t drift for shit.” She scowled as she picked at her nails.

“We shouldn’t discredit Iwaizumi now; he’s a pretty good racer himself. Besides, he’s got company to impress tonight.” Yuri said, looking over to Akira, who was leaning against her Cappuchino and watching the race from the pits.

“So, Fox told me that you two were D.K. and Cypher’s girls.” Ayumi received two sharp glares from the girls, which made her eyes widen with shock. “I mean, that’s just what Sly Fox told me so-”

“That son of a bitch; I’m gonna smack him so hard that he’ll be seeing his ancestors.” Nako growled, baring her teeth before glaring down at Sly Fox, who was smoking a cigarette and had a girl on his arm.

“He really thinks that Cypher can handle all of this? Ha! That little shit can barely get away without cops on his tail every two minutes!” Yuri scoffed, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms. “Drug dealing is such an amateur practice; I’m surprised he’s lasted this long out of jail.”

“So… y’all really don’t like them?” Ayumi asked, her tone cautious as she examined their faces for any sudden reactions.

“Do you know how much I LOATHE that motherfucker D.K.?! He’s a pain in the ass and is oblivious as fuck! Seriously, you’d think he’d be able to take a hint after flipping him off ten thousand times!” Nako complained, her mouth set in an angry frown.

Yuri leaned over to Ayumi, covering the side of her mouth that Nako was on and said, “It’s also because he calls her ‘Shorty’. Nako hates it when anyone makes fun of her height. You have no idea how much she hates her codename Minnie.”

Ayumi nodded as she pulled away, turning her attention back to Nako, who was still ranting about D.K..

“Nako, I think it’s also because he’s deadass almost thirty centimeters taller than you. I know how much you hate tall people.” Yuri remarked, making Nako pout as she glared at the raven haired man below.

“Why are his legs so goddamn long?! They’re completely useless and if anything, it makes him a more visible target!” Nako snapped as Yuri patted the top of her head.

“There now, Minnie. It’s okay; not all of us are blessed with long legs.” She cooed, which made Nako jab her in the ribs. Yuri groaned as she grinned, holding her ribs while she laughed at Nako. Ayumi snickered, covering her mouth as Nako huffed.

“I’m not even that short! I’m 162.7 centimeters, not 150!” She exclaimed as Ayumi burst out laughing.

“You just gotta include that extra .7, huh?” Ayumi asked in a teasing tone, which made Nako whine in frustration.

“You tall people wouldn’t get it! Every centimeter counts when you’re below 164!” Nako rolled her eyes as Ayumi and Yuri laughed.

“Nako, I’m not even that tall! I’m only 165 centimeters for God’s sake!” Ayumi was leaning against her windshield, covering her face as Yuri doubled over laughing.

“Oh my God, I didn’t realize you were that short Kitty Cat! I’m actually ten centimeters taller than you! Holy shit, I’m gonna bust a lung!” Yuri’s body shook with another fit of laughter as Ayumi wiped a tear from her eye. Yuri started calming down when her phone went off, composing herself as she answered the call.

“Talk to me, Rieko.” She said, completely changing from the lighthearted tease she was moments ago. She kept a firm expression as she listened to her assistant, occasionally nodding or making some sound of agreement.

“ _Staff has just informed me that several members of The National Diet and the Prime Ministers of Justice and Defense have arrived and have been brought to the Saturn Lounge for a private booking all night. I’ve already turned on all listening devices and cameras in the lounges, but the Saturn Lounge doesn’t have enough money to suffice with what they’re planning on gambling tonight. May I have access to the safe to grab a few more million yen, Boss_?” Rieko informed her.

“Take around 75 million yens out. You will enter the safe alone and put the money in a briefcase. Have the roulette wheels rigged tonight; I need favors owed to me if they’re government officials.” Yuri responded, which made Ayumi’s eyes widen. She was aware that Yuri was rich, but how rich was she to be able to say such a large amount of money so casually; the wealth and power she held honestly scared her a little.

“ _Yes, Boss. Will we be expecting any of your guests as well_?” Yuri peered over at Nako and Ayumi before returning to the phone call.

“Have the Mercury lounge booked out for me.” She replied, pursing her lips as her brow creased. 

“ _I’ll be sure to have everything ready for you when you return. Good evening, Boss._ ”

Yuri ended the call and gave the two a lazy smile. 

“I can’t stay long after ramen. I’ve got guests coming to the Lapis tonight.” She said, shrugging her shoulder as she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

“What’s The Lapis?” Ayumi asked, tilting her head off to one side in confusion.

“Club Lapis Lazuli, or as more people tend to call it, The Lapis. Since gambling is illegal, Yuri has her casinos hidden behind nightclubs. The Lapis is one of the most exclusive and expensive clubs in Tokyo right now and that’s where Yuri’s biggest casino is. It’s called the Renaissance; only the rich go gamble there and it's usually a mix of politicians, company CEOs, and entitled heirs and heiresses. The Lapis is already an amazing nightclub but the Renaissance is where the real party’s at.” Nako explained as Ayumi nodded. All this information was making her dizzy from just trying to remember it. 

“Oh, okay then.” Ayumi replied as the crowd started cheering again. The race was about to end soon. 

“Looks like you were right, Suma. Iwaizumi’s leading the pack.” Nako pointed to the white WRX that was in front, which was dangerously being tailed by two black Skylines. “He might win if he doesn’t let the Miyas pass him before he gets to the finish line.”

Ayumi got off of her car to look over the railing, her eyes following the Skylines. Hopefully they had behaved on the track and hadn’t done too much damage to any of the cars. However, her hopes were dashed when she couldn’t find the red FTO.

“Hey, where’s Yamamoto?” Nako asked, her eyebrow raising as Ayumi bit the inside of her cheek. She could already see the fight breaking out in the pits after the race was over; hopefully the FTO wasn’t too damaged.

Iwaizumi’s WRX passed the finish line, with his car doing a half-revolution for his exit spin. The Miyas followed him with second place while the orange Evo took third place. Fukurodani’s racer rolled in fourth and finally, the red FTO emerged, badly damaged on the right side. That looked like it was going to cost a lot to fix.

The crowd cheered as the announcer called out the names of the winners, but Ayumi could care less about that. She quickly headed over to the driver’s side of her car, unlocking it and getting in.

“Josei? Where are you going?” Yuri asked as Ayumi started up her car, the engine revving with life as the headlights flashed on.

“I’m making sure that the twins aren’t banned from racing again and that no one ends up with a broken face after this race.” She said as she backed out and made her way down to the track. She quickly parked her car by Inarizaki’s pits before getting out. She locked her car before running over to the track, where Iwaizumi was collecting his earnings and the FTO had just parked.

“YOU FUCKING TWIN BASTARDS!”

The crowd turned to see a furious man with a blonde mohawk. He slammed closed the door of his car, his fists balled up as he stomped his way towards the twins, who looked unfazed. Ayumi sighed in exasperation as she made her way to the twins. 

“You two are gonna get it for fucking up my car!” He yelled. He raised his fist, coming over to beat the two up. 

“Wait, wait! Let’s calm down before we do anything rash!” Ayumi exclaimed, getting in front of the twins and stopping Yamamoto’s hand. The man’s expression quickly switched to confusion as Ayumi gently bowed her head in apology.

“I’m so sorry about their behavior; they really don’t know better. Please, you can blame me for the damage. Just please don’t fight.” She said, giving him the softest, most apologetic look she could muster. If there were a few things she had learned while being part of the street racing scene, it was that male racers often didn’t take the female racers seriously. She had used this to her advantage a few times to get the Inarizaki Boys out of trouble with the other gangs. She didn’t know how well the act would work with certain people though. 

“Oh, I couldn’t get angry at a pretty girl like you. Look, I won’t fight them but I’ll need the compensation to fix my car. We can leave it at that, alright?” Yamamoto replied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he flushed red. Ayumi gave him a sweet smile as she nodded. 

“Thank you for being so understanding. I’ll be sure to get that compensation for you.” She said, her voice sweet like honey. The moment she turned around, she had lost her smile and was now glaring furiously at the twins. Once the crowd had dispersed and Yamamoto had turned away, she walked up to them and smacked both of them upside the head. 

“Ow! What the hell Vixen?!” Osamu exclaimed as Atsumu rubbed the stinging spot of the back of his head. 

“I should be asking you that! How many times do I have to tell you?! Behave on the track! If I have to save your asses one more time…!” Ayumi huffed as she crossed her arms. “Look, just give the guy the compensation he needs to fix his car. Judging by the damage, it’s probably gonna cost ¥85,000. I don’t wanna hear any complaints, understood?”

The twins sighed as they headed back to their cars, muttering something under their breath. Ayumi shook her head in disappointment before walking back to her car. She headed back to the platform, where Nako and Yuri were waiting for her. The two gave her a look of amazement as she got out her car, running a hand through her hair.

“Wow… that was amazing. How’d you know that was gonna work? I mean, I didn’t think you knew Yamamoto was weak for a pretty girl.” Nako’s eyes were wide in awe as Ayumi shook her head. 

“I didn’t. If anything, I've learned that men around here don't take us that seriously and that it can be used to our advantage if done right.” She said, getting a grin from Yuri as the taller girl patted her back. 

“Atta girl. I knew I already liked you when I first saw you.” Yuri said, throwing an arm over her shoulder before taking her over to the railing. “C’mon; the final race is about to start.”

Ayumi looked to see the racers start to appear on the track; a white Mazda RX-7, a red Nissan 350Z, a black Nissan Silvia, a grey Mitsubishi Eclipse, and a black Lexus LFA. She recognized the Silvia as Kita’s car, but was only vaguely familiar with the others. 

“The RX-7 is Cypher, right? And the 350Z is D.K.?” She inquired, getting a nod from Yuri.

“3!”

D.K. revved up his engine as he slipped on a pair of black sunglasses. 

“2!” 

Cypher stuck out his tongue in between his grin as he eyed the awaiting flag.

“1!” 

The sound of tires squealing against the asphalt was followed by clouds of dusts as the cars went rumbling down the road into the dark streets of Tokyo, the crowd cheering them on. Ayumi turned away in boredom, turning to face Yuri, who had let go of her to examine her car.

“Hey Mitsuma, I’m just curious, but why are you going around racing with a 911? I mean, you could probably afford another one, but you aren’t scared of it getting damaged?” She asked, which prompted a smirk from the taller girl. 

“Why not? No one else is racing a 911; why can’t I? Besides, I like the notoriety; gives me a sick sense of pride. It wasn’t easy getting my hands on this car, so why not? I deserve to show off my hard work.” She said, leaning her hand into the hood of the car. “What's your reason, Tsurugi? It ain’t like a Benz is pocket change; not to mention all of the cars you have in the goldmine garage of yours.” 

Nako gave her a wry smile as she crossed her arms. 

“The first car I ever drove was a Mercedes; maybe it’s just a sentimental thing with the brand. I like the way the SLR looks and my preferences tend to lean towards more foreign models. For your information Mitsuma, my garage is my most prized possession. The cars there are my investments; they’re just like all those houses you buy.” Nako stated, tipping her head curtly as Yuri snickered. 

“You collect sports cars like they’re Pokémon cards, Tsurugi. In case you didn’t realize, no one’s weird enough to collect a Reventón or a Zenvo.” She teased as Nako gave her a look of disbelief.

“Says the girl who has four properties in Italy?! Is it really necessary for you to have one home in every major Italian city?!” She exclaimed as Yuri bit the inside of her cheek in embarrassment.

“Okay, but you can’t have an apartment in Naples without having a villa in Tuscany. That’s just blasphemous. Besides, a house lasts longer than a hunk of metal.” She argued, which made Nako roll her eyes. 

“Um, girls? I’m still here and I do not know what the fuck a villa in Tuscany is.” Ayumi interrupted them as she gave them an awkward little wave. However, they still continued their bickering.

“Yes, having a villa is totally blasphemous when you own over twenty seven properties. Please, could you get any more dramatic? If you weren’t such a bitch, we’d actually be good friends.” Nako said, her tone sarcastic as Yuri scoffed. 

“We aren’t even on the same level to be considered friends, Tsurugi. You can use that cute smile to make everyone believe you’re a sweetheart, but you won’t fool me.” Yuri said coldly, which made Nako raise an eyebrow at her. 

“You think I have a cute smile?” She asked, which made Yuri wink at her, losing all the aggression she had only seconds ago. Ayumi blinked a few times before shaking her head. These girls had a far weirder relationship that she had anticipated. 

“Did y’all forget to mention y’all were psychopaths or something? That was the most bipolar shit I have ever seen in my life.” Ayumi gave them a disturbed look as the two laughed, completely dissolving the tension from before.

“Don’t worry, you get used to it.” Ayumi turned her head to see Sakura, who had arrived onto the platform. 

“I’m Sakura Inochi. I’m Nako’s assistant.” She introduced herself with the brightest, sweetest smile Ayumi had ever seen, looking so kind and soft in comparison to her boss. 

“I’m Ayumi Josei. I go by Vixen.” She said, leaning back against the hood of her car as her large bomber jacket slipped off her shoulder and exposed her cropped black tank top.

“You’re a racer, right? I don’t come out here unless Koutarou really wants me to come or Nako’s going to race. I’m usually cooped up in my office organizing contracts and addressing inventory.” Sakura tilted her head ever-so-slightly to the side out of curiosity, getting a nod from Ayumi. “Speaking of contracts, Nako you have a contract you have to sign with a supplier in Thailand.”

“Hey Tsurugi, what exactly do you import? I’m pretty sure you don’t deal weapons outright in public.” She asked, looking over at the shorter girl, who was readjusting the extra long sleeves of the ribbed white turtleneck she wore under her coat.

“I import and export lots of things, but it’s mostly machinery and equipment. I usually get shipments of big machines that I sell to factories and construction companies; it’s a demanding market and I always have customers.” She imparted. 

That was actually quite intelligent on Nako’s part; deconstructed or modified weapons could easily be mistaken for machine parts and with machinery being one of the largest parts of Japan’s trade market, Nako didn’t stand out from the already large pool import and export businesses. On the surface, Nako was just a small fish in a big pond. The fact that she was a woman made people underestimate her more; nobody expected a small, innocent-looking girl like Nako to be the owner of an imports business, much less a weapons dealer. She was like a viper in disguise. 

Both girls had actually chosen quite lucrative, yet well-paying areas of crime to specialize in. Most commonly, criminals chose drug dealing as a way to make money since it was a quick source of cash and always in demand. That was the route most of the racers had chosen anyways, with Cypher, D.K., and the Inarizaki Boys being the most recognizable names in the underground drug market. They fit their parts as low-life criminals with their tattoos, fancy cars, and an instantly recognizable smirk that always screamed of trouble. Those who didn’t wish to have many ties to Tokyo’s crime playground mostly only did street racing, as with the case of Iwaizumi, who was still in university. Street racers usually worked honest jobs outside of racing and lived generally stable lives, such as the racers of the Fukurodani Squad who operated one of Tokyo’s most high-demand tune shops in the daytime.

Yuri chose a subgenre of crime that almost ensured she’d never be arrested; operating casinos that catered to the wealthy and influential meant she had a long list of connections she could easily wield in her favor if she ever needed someone to pull any strings for her. Gambling in one of Yuri’s casinos almost seemed like a show of status among the private circles of the upper class; gambling was nothing cheap and guests had to have a significant amount of money they were willing to lose lest they wished to be in her debt for years. Those who were too foolish often lost their entire life’s earnings to her, leaving them to be her puppets in power; she easily had a foot on their heads at all times and could expose them of their misdeeds if they wished to cross her. Yet the rich and powerful never stopped flocking to her casinos; gambling was an addiction that was difficult to let go of and it only made it far harder for customers to leave when the casinos were designed to be glittering traps where men could drown in their darkest, most materialistic desires.

Then there was Nako’s weapons deals. Weapons dealing was more common than illegal casinos, but it wasn’t as common as drug dealing. Weapons could be charged at a higher price than most drugs depending on their modifications and rarity, with some types of weapons costing millions of yen for a single unit. Weapons were also quick and easy to manufacture, with Nako’s various suppliers all over the world sending her legal, unmodified weapons smuggled in through the Port of Tokyo where they could then be modified in the secrecy of her factories under the guise of assembling machinery parts that had been imported into the country. Weapons such as guns and explosives weren’t easy to acquire due to Japan’s strict laws against firearms, hiking up their prices to the thousands or possibly millions. In the criminal underworld, carrying a weapon was an absolute necessity so Nako’s business would naturally flourish due to the demand.

“So what’d you girls do when you were in Europe and South Korea then? Businesses like imports and nightclubs aren’t exactly easy to move from one country to another.” Ayumi asked, getting an amused chuckle from Yuri as she leaned forward, propping one leg up onto the hood of her car as she looked out onto the bright neon buildings in Tokyo’s skyline.

“Got a lot of questions, huh? Why are you so curious about us, eh? Gonna turn us in to the Tokyo PD?” She implored, making Ayumi shake her head as she looked over at her inquisitively. 

“I’m just curious about you two since people have been telling me there was so much mystery around you. No one knows who you are, why you came here, or how you even ended up in the underworld’s market. You girls just seem so interesting. I mean, look at me; I’m just a boring old engineering major who graduated from Tokyo Tech. You’ve got to have a better story than I do.” She admitted, frowning as she slipped off her jacket. 

‘Well my young disciple, I went to university in two countries. I spent the majority of my time in PSL University before I transferred to the University of Barcelona to finish my Bachelor’s. I spent a few more years in Barcelona after I graduated and only came back to Japan when I felt like it. It's crazy how I’m among the few here who actually has their college degree; no one’s gonna take you seriously in this country unless you’ve graduated uni.” She explained, looking wistfully at the night sky, almost as if she was remembering her years in Europe.

“Oh, you’re so right. When I first started in this market, my degree was the only thing that showed I had some credibility in my business.” Nako added, her hands folded in her lap as she rolled her eyes. 

“What school did you go to, Nako?” Ayumi turned her head over to her as she frowned just a bit. 

“Seoul National University. God, it was absolute hell to get my degree in law. At least the nightlife in Seoul was fun; I just got drunk every time I had finished my exams.” She replied, getting looks of shock from the girls around her. 

“You were a law student? I didn’t know that.” Sakura gaped as Nako bit the inside of her cheek. Yuri shook her head in disbelief as Ayumi’s jaw dropped.

“You, Miss Weapons Dealer, a law student? That’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard. I cannot imagine you for a second as a lawyer.” Yuri admitted, which made Nako wave off the topic dismissively. 

“Well, I’m not a lawyer yet. I’d have to go to law school for that. You won’t catch me in a law office though; all the sexist male lawyers I had to intern under in my undergrad made me less enthusiastic to pursue a career as a lawyer after that.” She insisted, her brow scrunching up in annoyance as the memories came back to her rather bitterly.

“Damn, you’re like the ideal daughter-in-law. You are literally the girl my grandma wanted my uncle to marry when he was growing up; pretty, stable career choice, and rich as fuck. I genuinely did not think girls like you existed that weren’t major bitches.” Ayumi commented, giving her a look of amazement. Yuri grinned as she gave her a teasing look.

“What are you talking about, Josei? Nako IS a major bitch.” She quipped, making Nako shove her off her 911 as she smiled begrudgingly. Yuri laughed as she slid off her car, readjusting her white newsboy cap before getting back on the hood. 

“Nako, I think they’re coming up.” Sakura commented, making them turn their attention back to the track. Far out in the dark roads of Tokyo, several bright headlights could be made out along with the distant sound of rumbling car engines. The race was about to end.

Nako got off of her car and joined Yuri and Ayumi by the railing, squinting her eyes and just barely making out the silhouettes of Kuroo’s 350Z and Oikawa’s RX-7, which were neck in neck with each other. Following closely along was Kita’s Silvia, moving dangerously along Oikawa’s left side. Neither car seemed to push ahead the other as they came into view, edging closer and closer to the finish line. Just as they were coming up, Oikawa pushed ahead and raced past Kita and Kuroo, stealing first place. The crowd roared with approval as he did his exit spin of three full revolutions, throwing up clouds of dust as his tires bore pitch black marks into the asphalt. 

Yuri raised her eyebrows, slightly impressed by his performance. Oikawa really did come through with his promises. She watched quietly from the platforms as he was surrounded by crowds of people. His eyes soon caught onto the girl staring at him from above, her eyes concealed by the dark sunglasses she had put on and her arms crossed. He grinned before winking at her and blowing her a kiss, making Yuri scoff as she looked away. 

“ _Qué Cabrón..._ ” She muttered, shaking her head as she turned around to the other two girls. 

“Alright ladies, it's time for us to go. Josei, follow Nako. She’ll take you over to Haiba Ramen.” She smiled deviously as she readjusted her hat, getting a suspicious look from Nako.

“And where will you be?” Nako frowned as Yuri placed her hands on her hips. 

“Business matters, Tsurugi. I won’t be far behind. Haiba knows my order; just don’t steal my chicken wings before I get there. I’ll have to kill you if you do.” She remarked, making Ayumi turn pale. Yuri was so unpredictable that Ayumi honestly wasn’t sure if she was joking or serious half of the time.

“Um, you aren’t actually gonna kill us right?” Ayumi’s tense expression made Yuri smirk as she pulled down her sunglasses.

“That’s for you to decide, Josei.” She winked at her before turning around and getting into her 911, the engine roaring to life aggressively before she backed out and took her car down to the streets. Nako merely shook her head in exasperation before turning around to get into her car, but was stopped when Cypher and D.K. had arrived onto the platform. 

“Ladies,” Oikawa greeted them before looking around the platform. “Where’s Diamond?”

“She left. ‘Business matters’ apparently. She’s supposed to meet up with us at Haiba ramen after she’s done.” Ayumi replied as Oikawa and Kuroo took a good look at her. 

“Wait, you’re the Vixen Sly told us about. Smart, but doesn’t have a clue about the underground.” Kuroo raised an eyebrow at her, making Nako look over at him incredulously.

“Oh you did not just say that, Mr. College Dropout.” Her comment made Kuroo grimace as Oikawa tried to hide his laughter. ‘She has way more credibility than you.”

Nako stood by Ayumi’s side, crossing her arms as she stared at him defiantly.

“Do you know what school she graduated from? Tokyo Tech, A.K.A. the biggest and most famous polytechnic university in all of Japan. She’s an engineer and probably knows more about all the cars here than half of the dumb dumb racers out on the track.” She boasted confidently.

“Actually Nako, I’m a mechanical engineer. I know more about machine parts than car parts-” Ayumi was cut off when Nako continued to talk over her.

“So don’t go disrespecting my new friend with your flawed and misogynistic knowledge. Sly Fox and all of Inarizaki are little shits and I’m surprised Vixen had been able to deal with them for so long.” Nako looked over at Ayumi with a bright smile. “Sweetie, you’re doing God’s work keeping those stupid foxes in line.”

Ayumi nodded as she exchanged that smile with her.

"I can see why you were a law student now.” She replied, getting a bewildered look from Kuroo.

“Wait, you were a law student-?” Kuroo clamped his mouth shut when Nako pulled her hand across her mouth with a cross look. 

“Quiet, the adults are talking.” Nako giggled as her smile widened. “Thank you! You’re so sweet; no wonder why I like you so much.”

Nako took Ayumi’s arm and dragged her away, her sweet demeanor not having one trace of the aggression she expressed in front of Kuroo.

“Come on, new best friend! Let’s go get ramen; remember I’m paying since I’m your senior!” She chirped, grinning cheekily as they passed by her manager.

“Aren’t you paying for the ramen because you lost-” Sakura was also yanked away as Nako dragged her to her car.

“I said let’s go, Sakura! Come on, your poor little brain must be fried from running those numbers all day!” Nako insisted as she ushered Sakura into the passenger’s seat of her and Ayumi over to her Celica.

“Wait up; we’ll join you.” Oikawa and Kuroo quickly made their way down to their cars as Nako swung into her SLR and turned on the engine, heading down the platform with Ayumi following behind her. Nako looked in her rear view mirror to see Oikawa’s RX-7 and Kuroo’s 350Z following them as well. 

The ramen place wasn’t too far from where they were and Ayumi could see the tiny little shop nestled in a back alley once she made that final right turn. The shop was squeezed in between an abandoned, graffitied building and a hair salon. The alleyway looked like it had come from a time way before the rest of Tokyo; the shops mostly were open-air or had traditional wooden doors. The shops only covered their stands with large black tarps or thin plastic curtains to shield it from the elements as the scent of cigarettes and alcohol reeked from the small strip of asphalt passing through this cramped corner of the city. In the early hours of the morning, all the lights had been switched off except for the shop’s, which had big lanterns decorated in the front that gave off a warm orange glow. Nako had parked her car on the outside of the alleyway, getting out with Sakura as Ayumi neatly lined up her Celica against the old brick walls. 

“It’s down here. This is honestly a secret place not a lot of people know about, but Haiba makes some of the best ramen in the city.” Nako walked down to the shop and slid open the door. “Haiba! It’s Minnie!” 

Inside the shop, it was cozy and inviting. The traditional Japanese architecture and wooden walls made the space feel like a local, friendly neighborhood ramen shop. The shop was quite small and could barely fit the five that had arrived; Kuroo and Oikawa looked positively cramped with how long their legs were as they took a seat on the long bench. A tall man emerged from the back, smiling as he greeted Nako politely.

“Minnie! I see you brought company.” He looked over to see Oikawa and Kuroo, nodding to greet them before his eyes fell on Ayumi. 

“Who’s this?” The man was quite interesting in appearance; his neatly parted silver hair and piercing green eyes were unfamiliar to her and honestly looked quite Western. His rather impressive height and long limbs reminded her of the international European exchange students she had encountered back when she studied at Tokyo Tech. 

“Ayumi, meet Lev Haiba. He’s a mechanic for Nekoma and the owner of this shop. Haiba, this is Ayumi Josei. She goes by Vixen and is a racer for Inarizaki.” Nako introduced the two as she set her purse down onto the table. “He’s half Russian if you’re wondering why he’s so tall.” 

Ayumi nodded in acknowledgement as Lev turned his attention back to Nako. 

“We’ll have our usual. Diamond’s coming to join us later so we’ll need a plate of chicken wings too. The boys can order whatever they want; it’s on my card tonight for the girls.” She said, opening up her rather slim wallet and handing him an all-black card. Lev nodded as he took the card from her and shuffled over to Oikawa and Kuroo, who were ordering bowls of tonkotsu and kyoto ramen. Nako grabbed the glass bottle that was resting on the counter along with the shot glasses. 

“Mitsuma didn’t say anything about pregaming,” Ayumi, being the youngest, graciously took the bottle from Nako’s hands and started pouring them shots of shochu. “Let’s have some fun tonight.”

Ayumi passed the shots over to Oikawa and Kuroo and with a quick ‘cheers!’, the group downed their shots. The night went on as the group chatted and drank together; Yuri had arrived later as she had said, sitting down on the seat by Oikawa, who threw an arm over her.

“Cheers!” Yuri raised up the shot glass before downing the booze, the translucent liquid flowing down her throat smoothly. She slurped up the last bit of her ramen before getting up and dusting off her coat. 

“Thanks for the meal, Tsurugi. Unfortunately I gotta go; I got important guests coming over to the Lapis tonight and I gotta entertain them if I want my paycheck. _Bon soir, mes amies_.” Yuri waved them goodbye, much to the complaints of Oikawa and Nako. She turned and left the shop, climbing into her 911 and speeding down the dark roads of the Shinjuku Ward.

Yuri arrived at a large nightclub after thirty minutes; the muffled bass music and the bright neon lights bringing comfort to her. She was finally back where she belonged. She took her car down to the garage on the side of the building, which opened up at the click of a remote. After parking her 911, she walked over to the back of the car and popped open the trunk, looking pleased at what she had inside. 

“Aw, the ropes too tight on you?” She crooned, smirking deviously down at the tied up man lying in the bed of her trunk, his eyes wide with terror as he whimpered against the dirty cloth gagging his mouth. Yuri pulled out her phone, placing it to her ear as she dialed a number. 

“ _Yes, Boss?_ ” Yuri glanced over at the man as she rested a hand on the edge of her trunk. 

“Have the Red Room opened for me. I’ve just caught myself a little bird.” She said as her security guards arrived and hauled the man out, his struggling against the ropes futile as they took him upstairs. Yuri hung up with a satisfied smile, closing her trunk before gracefully making herself upstairs. 

Every employee that encountered her bowed respectfully, murmuring a quiet ‘Good evening Boss’ as she passed by them, the click of her boots alone striking fear into their hearts. Everywhere she went, a body guard was there to accompany her and do whatever she needed; they opened doors for her, pushed elevator buttons, she was their boss after all. 

The elevator door dinged as the doors opened to a new floor, with Yuri making her way over to a small room hidden from most of her patrons. Her expression was stoic when she entered the room, which had red painted walls and the only thing decorating it was a table and two chairs. 

Yuri took a seat, facing the young man who she had tied up in her car, having lost a few of his restraints and being reduced to being tied down to the chair instead. She crossed her legs as she rested her elbows onto the table, resting her cheek in one hand as she gave him a pleasant smile. 

“You thought you’d be able to escape me forever, Shouyou Hinata? Tsk tsk, I thought you were smarter than that.” She cooed as he yanked at his tightly bound wrists. 

“I-i don’t know what I did, I-I swear! Please don’t kill me!” Hinata stuttered as Yuri chuckled, his amber eyes filled with fear as his actions grew more frantic. 

“Do you know why this room’s called the Red Room?,” A dark glint appeared in her eyes, making Hinata’s body freeze up in terror. “It’s because the blood stains aren’t as obvious if the walls are painted red.” 

“Please! I’ll tell you everything! Just don’t kill me!” His voice sounded so desperate as he begged for his life. It made Yuri feel sick with delight.

“That’s what I was hoping you’d do, Hinata. This is the part where I start asking the questions and you start answering.” She sat back up again, leaning her weight against the back of the chair as she rocked back and forth on the soles of her boots. 

“You’re going to give me everything you knew about during your time under the Ukai Clan.” She said, the intense stare she gave making his resolve crumble right before her. 

“B-but the Ukai Clan has been dormant for years! Why would you need information on a clan that hasn’t been active for-”

“I said I wanted information on the Ukai Clan, Hinata. Do I need to start shooting off fingers for you to start talking?” Yuri pulled out a handgun from her jacket pocket, making Hinata shriek in fear as she placed it on the table. She loaded in a fresh magazine and pulled off the safety, cocking it back before placing it down. Yuri looked at him expectedly, her nails tapping against the metal table as he swallowed down his spit before speaking. 

“W-well, I started as a small drug runner for Mr. Ukai when I was fifteen. I didn’t meet with him often since I was mostly under training…”

Yuri kept her expressions neutral as she listened to Hinata, but she already knew everything that he was about to tell her. She was no fool; she had all of his information on file and at her disposal before she had decided to kidnap him for interrogation. What she was more interested in was the superiors Hinata had worked under during his time under the Ukai Clan. It had been years and now it was time for her to wreck full hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Translations:
> 
> Spanish  
> princesa - princess  
> Qué Cabrón - what a bastard
> 
> French  
> Bon soir, mes amies - good evening, my friends


	2. Drinks and New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the reads, kudos, and comments! i hope you all enjoy chapter 2!

A few weeks would pass before Oikawa saw Yuri again. Yuri, understandably, was a busy woman and Oikawa had his own business to attend to. It wasn’t until one night Yuri had called him and offered to make him a drink at her penthouse to keep the promise she had made.

" _Yeah, just drive up to the gate and tell them you’re here for Yuri Mitsuma. They’ll let you in. You can park in Lot A; that’s where they keep all the private garages_."

"Of course, Yuri. Anything else I should be aware of before our date?" Oikawa crooned as he drove through the bustling streets of the Aoyama District. He could see Yuri rolling her eyes through the sigh she let out over the phone. Truthfully, it made sense that Yuri lived in such a luxurious part of Tokyo; Yuri wasn’t ashamed of how much money she made and she didn’t mind letting people know she was swimming in diamonds and gold.

" _Just watch yourself, Cypher. I’m only doing this because I made a deal with you. Don’t think of it that deeply_." She said, scoffing as he approached the tall building, which was glimmering in the neon lights. He rolled down the window as the security guard stepped out, taking a look at his car before approaching him.

"Name?" The guard glared down at him, frowning as Oikawa flashed him a grin.

"Tooru Oikawa. I’m here for Yuri Mitsuma." He shrugged his shoulders, looking just like the bad news anyone knew to steer away from. The guard checked his tablet for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, kid. Come on in." He said, turning around back into his booth and raising the bar for him. Oikawa smiled as he drove his Mazda past and headed for Lot A as Yuri instructed. As he passed through the complex, he couldn’t help but notice how luxurious the place was. There were parks where children were playing, shopping centers where people rushed in and out, their arms full of bags, there were swimming pools, spas, and gyms; the complex felt more like a mini city over a housing unit.

He drove down into Lot 1, where a security guard had given him a guest keypad and a specific parking spot. The parking lot spaces were all separated by lasers and once Oikawa had rolled between a Mercedes and a Lamborghini, the lights turned red and his keypad beeped.

The brunette looked around, slightly in awe as he locked up his car and headed for the elevators. He finally arrived at Level 47, which was near the very top of the enormous building. He could see why Yuri liked her home so much; the views were breathtaking and not to mention, her apartment was also a penthouse suite, complete with multiple rooms and a private hot tub. He finally arrived at Apartment 474 and knocked politely on the dark wood door.

Moments later, he was greeted by the sight of Yuri Mitsuma, dressed in fine clothes of silk and satin and a bright red lipstick to complete the look.

"Come on in, Oikawa." She said, turning around gracefully despite having house slippers on her feet. Oikawa nodded as he entered the apartment and took off his shoes.

"So what do you want? I have Rémy Martin, Dom Pérignon; I even have Patrón if you want to get extra buzzed." She said as he took a look around the place. It was every bit as beautiful and classy as Yuri herself, with careful choices of light, neutral shades being chosen to compliment the marble and gold accents.

"Your home’s quite beautiful." He commented as Yuri pulled the tequila down from her bar cabinet.

"Yeah, I try. So, tequila?" She asked, getting a smirk from the man as she held up the bottle.

"You know me so well, Mitsuma." He said as she gently yanked up her sleeves.

"On the rocks or you want a cocktail?" She raised an eyebrow at him as he took a seat on her couch.

"On the rocks, _por favor_." He said as she took out some lime slices and salt. It wasn’t long before the two had a glass of Patrón in their hands and Oikawa had an arm over her shoulder.

"Thanks for the drink, sweetheart. It’s been a while since I’ve had Patrón." He took a deep gulp of the booze, swallowing it down as it burned pleasantly in his throat.

"I usually have it for when I want to get drunk. Personally, it’s not too much of a conversation drink for me. It gets me way too fired up." She said, taking a silent sip as he turned over to look at her.

"Oh yeah? How fired up?" He gently pulled her closer towards him as she set down the glass.

"Fired up enough to go get completely wrecked at Nako’s the day before I had important guests from Europe coming in." She scoffed as she remembered how much alcohol she had consumed that night and had woken up with a terrible hangover the morning after. "It’s funny because I’d go on to sleep with one of my guests the day after."

Oikawa smirked as he leaned forward and moved over her chin to look at him.

"Well then, how about we test that?" He cooed softly as his pointer finger stroked the side of her face. Yuri, much to his surprise, didn’t immediately push him away or express any discomfort. Those pretty blue eyes he liked so much merely stared back at him, her body completely frozen with the drink on the coffee table long forgotten.

"Tooru... what do you want?" His hand rested on her jaw and tilted it up ever so slightly. Those deep brown eyes seemed like they were piercing through her soul as he leaned in closer.

"Can I have a kiss?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper as he held her face. His hot breath was fanning against her lips as his nose brushed hers; how could he have such an effect on her when she had convinced herself so many times he wasn’t what she wanted? Yuri didn’t know if it was the alcohol or if it was the tension that had been brewing between them ever since they met, but at that moment she didn’t have to think twice.

Yuri grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him forward onto her lips, finally kissing him. She could afford to lose her common sense for just one night; Tooru Oikawa may be a criminal, but that definitely didn’t discredit how attractive he was. Oikawa grabbed her waist and immediately pulled her onto his lap, tilting his head to make the kiss deeper. One hand was stroking her thigh, playing with the edge of her skirt while the other was firmly holding the side of her face. His lips were hot and demanding, moving in sync with hers as she let go of whatever qualms she had. His tongue slid past her lips and she felt a shiver down her spine as his tongue piercing brushed against the inside of her mouth.

"God, you’re beautiful..." He murmured as he pulled away and started suckling bruises on her jaw. Yuri whined softly as she tugged at his hair, encouraging him to go further. His fingers moved up to undo the ribbon of her top before unbuttoning it. His mouth ran hot, sticky open-mouth kisses down her neck, sucking hard on her fair skin and occasionally nipping at it, which made her shudder in pleasure.

His fingers somehow perfectly undid all the buttons of her top and he pulled it down far enough that he could leave more bruises on her collarbones and shoulders. His mouth sucked on the butterfly tattoos on her shoulder, placing a bruise on each butterfly before soothing them with a light kiss. As his lips moved lower, the hand on her thigh moved higher, scrunching her skirt up higher as it pushed apart her legs slightly; his fingers hooking themselves on the edge of her panties.

Yuri had found herself completely surrendering her body to this man, doing all things he wanted and sinking into a pool of lust and desire. Her vision was foggy as Oikawa started sucking on her chest, his fingers yanking her panties off her legs.

"You’re screaming my name tonight, Princess." He seemed just as drunk on pleasure as she was, his voice sounding far more guttural than before as he ran soothing kisses over the bite marks on her chest. Yuri shivered as she let out soft moans; she wouldn’t give into him that easily. If he wanted to hear her moan loud, he’d have to make her.

Oikawa finally pulled off her satin panties and tossed them away. They wouldn’t be needing those anymore. He laid her down on the couch, making sure she was comfortable before finally pulling off her top and seeing her pretty white bra in its full glory. He could see her full collection of tattoos now; the large tattoo of four lilies on her left ribs, the two small, bruise-covered butterflies on her shoulder, and the small dragon that snaked along the underwire of her bra by her right tit. Her skin looked luminous with all that ink marking it; it was about to look even better painted with his bruises and bite marks.

"Tell me you want it, Yuri. Tell me what you want." He said, biting his lip at the sight before him. The way her skirt was hitched up slightly, how tousled her hair looked even before he could ravage her body, her floral perfume invading his nose; it was an intoxicating experience for him. This was better than anything he could’ve ever fantasized.

"I want you, Tooru. Please take me." She said, her voice whiny and impatient as she tugged at his jeans. 

"I didn’t hear you, sweetheart. Tell me what you want." He cooed, squeezing her hip and making her cry out.

"Please Tooru! I want you!" She exclaimed, making him smirk as he leaned down towards her chest.

"Perfect." He reached behind her and started moving towards the clasp of her bra. His fingers had just brushed the clasp when Yuri’s phone went off, making Oikawa stop in his tracks as Yuri snapped out of her lust-driven haze.

Yuri sighed as Oikawa got off of her and she reached over to grab her phone. She brought up to her ear, running a hand through her messy hair as she answered it.

"Hello?" She deadpanned, clearly annoyed as she sat on her couch in nothing but a skirt and her underwear.

" _Suma, I need you to come to the docks. Now_." Sakura’s voice sounded worried as Yuri sighed.

"Sakura, we talked about this. Nako doesn’t get involved with my deals and I don’t get involved with hers. It’s common courtesy and you know weapons are no good for me." She said as she got up, picking her panties and top off the floor. Even in the midst of making out with Tooru Oikawa, Yuri was no slob and she refused to allow her designer clothes to be tossed around in such a manner.

" _Yuri, Nako had made plans tonight to deal with the Nohebi Clan and it isn’t going well_ ." Yuri’s expression changed to worry upon hearing Sakura’s soft voice shake. " _Fangs isn’t being cooperative since he wants to know where Mika is. We haven’t disclosed whether or not she’s dead or alive. He wants to be alone with Nako but God knows what he’ll do to her if she’s alone. Please, I need your help. I can only keep this call short before they start suspecting me_."

Yuri’s eyes turned cold as she started slipping her clothes back on again. Fangs must’ve finally figured out what had happened to his beloved Mika. 

Mika Yamaka had been a university student just like Iwaizumi, studying to be a nurse. She had met Nako when Nako had just come back from South Korea and started running weapons in Tokyo, coming upon her when the latter had disguised herself as a college admissions officer to smuggle firearms to a young university student. Mika, being the girlfriend of a Yakuza boss, immediately recognized her for what she really was and befriended her. She didn’t really know anyone who shared the same dangerous circumstances as her so it was a relief for her to meet Nako. 

Mika, although she loved Fangs very much, was growing more and more terrified of the life that she had been roped into and finally, after nearly being killed and was promptly brushed off by her boyfriend, Mika came to Nako for a solution. Nako offered to keep her safe by giving her a new identity and a new place to call home. Mika agreed and soon she was whisked off to a town near Hiroshima where she was to live quietly until things settled down. Of course, Nako had the benefit of essentially keeping a live hostage; all she had to do was wait and see how crazy she could drive Fangs to raise up the price of the ransom. It had been a few years since Nako had actually seen Mika, only discreetly talking to her over the phone or texting her. 

Nako had explained to her this story once over a few glasses of soju and Yuri had thought Fangs wouldn’t ever figure out it was Nako. After all, Nako had barely any interactions with him that were worth remembering; so why would she go after Fang’s girlfriend? Now it looks like Fangs found out Nako’s little scheme. Only question was if he knew if she was alive or dead.

"Which dock? I’ll be there in 20 minutes." She walked up to the mirror in her living room and fixed up her appearance as Sakura squeaked out a " _Dock 12, Warehouse 17_ " before hanging up.

Oikawa watched her in worry as she did up the buttons of her top again and neatly tucked it into her skirt.

"Yuri, what’s going on?" He asked, his eyes following her as she quickly into another room out of his sight.

"One of Nako’s deals is going south right now. She’s going to get killed if I don’t get there in time. Damn Snakes." She replied before emerging with a laptop and a radio disperser.

"I need you to call me a favor from D.K.. This shit ain’t gonna be pretty." She said as she attached a radio receiver to her ear and strapped a switchblade to a garter under her skirt. "Why am I always saving your ass, Tsurugi?"

Oikawa did as he was told and quickly called his friend up, with Kuroo worried to hear that Nako was having trouble with a weapons deal.

"D.K., you know where my complex is. I need Snake Eyes to run a remote 4x4 grid on Dock 12 in the Port of Tokyo; whatever jammers, different signals, or wires you can find, shut them off. I need eyes on those bastards in case they do something. I also need you on call in case the deal goes any worse and we need someone to recover the weapons." She explained quickly before turning to Oikawa.

"If I call for you, I’m gonna need you to pick up the weapons and dispose of the bodies. I’m counting on you, Tooru." She said, getting a nod from the man before she dashed out and headed down to her garage, running as fast as possible in a pair of sneakers and a skirt.

She quickly climbed in and started up her engine, zooming out of the complex and taking a backroad in order to get to the docks as quickly as possible. Yuri watched as her speedometer sped up to 160km/h; she’d probably get flagged by a cop but that wasn’t important. She had to get to Nako before the Nohebi Clan did.

After a few minutes of zooming through multiple wards, Yuri finally arrived at the docks, slowing down to lower the sound of her engine. As she approached Dock 12, she saw Nako’s red SLR parked by a rusty old warehouse. Yuri parked her car next to hers, grabbing the handgun in her glovebox. She didn’t know what would happen and it never hurt to have a gun. She grabbed a new magazine and locked it in before pulling back the slide. Yuri took a deep breath before leaving her car, quietly locking the door before sneaking out towards one of the doors of the warehouse.

"...this deal is for weapons only, Fangs. I can’t provide classified information." Nako’s voice could be heard very faintly from inside the warehouse, sounding stern as she adamantly denied the leader’s demands. Yuri had been in contact with the Nohebi Clan once or twice; every Yakuza clan or street gang alike enjoyed coming into her casino and gambling dens for their luxurious facilities where many men had come in to spend their life’s savings drowning in the bliss of material pleasure. Suguru Daishou, or better known by his infamous moniker Fangs, was no exception and his clan often came in with large sums of money from their illegal activities.

She remembered Fangs as a fairly good poker player since he was so sly and cunning. He had been unpredictable in games and his face never really gave anyone any clues to his chances of winning. Her business with him had generally been good, but she knew that the Nohebi Clan held a personal vendetta against Oikawa, Kuroo, and Kita; the clan weren’t racers, but they were fierce competitors as drug runners.

"She was last seen coming into one of your import offices. At least tell me if she’s dead or alive. She never came out, so I’m assuming you either dumped her body in the ocean or you’re keeping her hostage. For all I know, you could’ve sold her off to Sakanoshita or one of his dirty dogs." Fangs jeered at her, the sound of him slamming his hand against a table following. Yuri wasn’t worried about Nako being intimidated or scared of him; she was worried he’d do something rash if she provoked him any further. Nako was a genius business woman, being just as cunning and calculating as Yuri was, perhaps even more. Nako thought out everything in her head even as she conducted her business; she was not reckless when it came to her deals and if she felt things were going south, she would’ve already had a plan in mind.

Yuri snuck over to the shipping entrance of the warehouse, which was slightly ajar. She slinked in and gripped her gun more tightly. She carefully made herself over to the receiving area, where the deal was being held. Their voices were gradually getting louder as Yuri slipped past heavy wooden pallets and forklifts.

"That’s for me to know. Sakanoshita didn’t get to her first; I did. Whatever happens with my business stays there. You should move on and accept that you’re never seeing her again." Nako was getting more and more agitated; her tone was becoming impatient as time passed. It wasn’t fairly obviously, but Yuri could tell just by the subtle tightening of her voice.

"Then you killed her!" Fangs snarled at the girl as Yuri stopped in her tracks, hiding behind a stack of pallets. Did Nako know that she had come? She must’ve known something was up when Sakura had excused herself to take a call. Nako always had something planned; hopefully this time it wouldn’t end up with them caught in a crossfire.

"For someone who came here to make a weapons deal, you’re acting quite rash. My business with you involves the firearms you told me you had acquired from North Korea, not your ex-girlfriend. I came for those and nothing else. If you wish to make this into some revenge plot from a B-List action movie, I would suggest leaving it for another time. Until you give me a body, you can’t accuse me of killing her or hurting her." Nako told him coldly. Yuri had finally made it to a spot where she could get a good view of the deal, with the backs of the Nohebi clan turned towards her. Heavily armed men surrounded a single green haired man, looking just as slimy and slick as Yuri remembered him. Daishou looked extremely angry with just the way his back muscles tensed and how aggressively he was gripping the small table in front of him.

Nako stood across from him, keeping her composure as her manager stood by her side, looking a bit concerned as her boss kept her gaze ice cold. Nako’s eyes briefly flickered over to Yuri’s direction before returning back to Daishou. So Nako did know that Yuri was coming.

"Either give me the weapons or leave with them. I refuse to discuss this topic any longer." Nako seemed to have reached the final straw, as Daishou immediately pulled out his gun on her and his clan followed suit, all aiming their guns at the two young women. Sakura froze in fear as Nako raised an eyebrow at him.

"If you won’t talk, I guess we’ll have to force it out of you. Tie them up." Daishou sneered as his men immediately came down upon the girls and pushed them to the ground, tying up their hands.

“개자씨.” Nako snarled as the men stomped down between her shoulder blades, wincing as they tied her up tightly. Yuri was quietly making her way up to the platforms so she would have the upper hand; she had to create a distraction if Nako and Sakura wanted to make it out of this warehouse alive. She could only wince at their cries of agony as Daishou’s henchmen did their worst on them.

Once she made it to the platform, she looked down to see Sakura crumpling under a henchman’s grip as Daishou leaned down with a gun pointed at Nako’s temple.

"Tell me where she is." He said coldly, glaring at the smaller girl. Nako’s head was down as crimson blood dropped onto the concrete floor. She looked up and snarled, spitting blood into his face.

"Never." She rasped, receiving a kick to the face as Daishou wiped the blood off. He pointed the gun towards Sakura, who was pushed down to the ground and was whimpering in pain. Yuri took a deep breath as she held out her gun, aiming it as she closed one eye. She had one chance to do this; otherwise Sakura wouldn’t live. She squeezed the trigger and the bullet flew straight into Daishou’s hand, knocking the gun away as he cried out in pain. He looked up and growled as he saw the infamous gambling dealer Diamond, standing on the platform with a gun in her hand and a deadly gleam in her eye.

"GET HER!" He screamed, clutching his wound as his henchmen ran up the platform. Yuri quickly grabbed the switchblade strapped to her thigh and tossed it down to Nako. The Nohebi Clan would be too distracted with her to notice Nako and Sakura now. Nako grabbed the blade and got to work at cutting her restraints while Daishou gripped his hand in agony. She shot another bullet into his thigh, watching him crumple to the ground.

Yuri held out her gun and started shooting, the sound of bullet casings dropping to the ground echoing as she shot a bullet into the forehead of one henchman and two into the neck of another. They fell to the ground, pools of blood seeping from under them as the others started shooting at her. Luckily, they were only armed with pistols and small handguns, making it slightly easier to dodge them as Yuri shot three more bullets into the chest of another. She ran from platform to platform as they chased after her, killing three more henchmen as she did.

She groaned in pain as one of the remaining men shot her in the ribs, puncturing her flesh and knocking the air out of her lungs. She struggled to stay on her feet as pain flooded her body and her vision blurred. She raised her shaky hand and shot the man in the face, blowing his nose to bits as his large form fell backwards. She took a breath as she tried to push aside the pain she felt in her ribs, blood soaking her top and turning the fine silk a deep red.

Yuri felt the searing pain of another bullet hit her arm, crying out in pain as a brunette henchman had landed a shot on her. She gripped her bloodied arm as she gritted her teeth. She swung over the railing and jumped onto another flight of stairs, making sure to shoot two bullets into the man’s skull before making her way down to Nako and Daishou.

Nako had managed to free herself and Sakura, trying to drag her beaten friend away. Her eyes widened when Yuri finally made it to the floor, a bloody mess. She was quickly grabbed by a blonde henchman, who held her in a chokehold as she struggled against his grip. She elbowed him hard in the ribs before twisting his arms backwards and kneeing him in the ribs, groaning in pain as she tried to fight the burn of the two bullets in her body. He fell quickly to a pool of blood as soon as he landed on his knees, with Yuri shooting a bullet into the back of his head.

Yuri struggled to breathe, hissing as she grabbed her arm. She handed the gun over to Nako, who was rubbing her red wrists.

"I’ll get Sakura outta here. You can deal with Fangs." She said, taking labored breaths as Nako grabbed the gun. Sakura picked her up and threw her arm over her shoulder, limping away with her weakened body as she tried to fight the pain. It was becoming harder to breathe, with black spots dancing around her eyes as her hearing went in and out. The rush of adrenaline was the only thing keeping her from collapsing right on the spot; she couldn’t even feel her legs as Sakura dragged her away.

"Please." Daishou pleaded, his voice filled with desperation. "I’ll give you whatever you want. You can take all my money; please just spare me."

"Your money won’t save you this time. Say hello to Mr. Sakanoshita for me."

The sound of a gun firing echoed throughout the warehouse, followed by the chilling drop of a bullet casing to the ground. Sakura hid her face into Yuri’s shoulder as Nako stared down mercilessly.

The warehouse fell silent, with only the sounds of the waves distantly crashing against the rocks and the creak of the old wooden beams as the ocean’s winds blew strong that night. The bright lanterns swinging above shone upon all the bodies of the deceased Nohebi clan, with their blood shimmering as it caught the light.

Curls of smoke wisped from the gun in Nako’s hand as the metallic smell of blood and bullets filled Yuri’s nose. Yuri’s mind was blank as the sound of her heavy breaths filled her ears.

"You’re a fucking maniac, Yuri Mitsuma." Nako said as she finally turned around and walked towards the two. Sakura gently sat the taller girl down on the floor as Yuri gripped tightly onto the wound on her ribs, wincing in pain. Nako crouched to her level and placed down her gun and switchblade.

"Sakura, run over to the office and see if you can find a first aid kit. I’ll get the bullets out." She told her manager, who scrambled off to the office while Nako laid Yuri down on the floor. She carefully removed Yuri’s bloodstained top to reveal two nasty bullet wounds, still spurting out blood as Yuri’s breathing grew more labored. Her vision was growing dimmer and dimmer as she heard Sakura’s muffled footsteps approach them. Nako opened the first aid kit and put on a pair of gloves before grabbing the tweezers, antiseptic wipes, cotton wraps, a needle, medical thread, and medical tape. She carefully cleaned off the knife of any blood or grime with an alcohol wipe before looking over her with a worried look.

"This is gonna hurt a lot, Mitsuma. I’m sorry in advance." Nako sighed as she began to tie a piece of stray rope around Yuri’s arm to apply pressure to cut off the bleeding. Once her arm was cleaned and ready, Nako began. Yuri was no stranger to seeing gunshot wounds, but had never been shot herself. She screamed in pain as the knife dug into her flesh and pried the bullet out. Every movement flooded her entire arm with the feeling of a thousand needles piercing her open wound all at once as the knife continued to prod for the lead core; she had never experienced pain like this before and it hurt just as much as when she had gotten shot. Her head was empty as her vision turned foggy, barely hearing Sakura’s soft words of assurance as she held down her jerking arm. The knife soon exited her flesh and she took a big breath of relief as Nako carefully placed down the knife onto the gauze.

Nako grabbed her tweezers and gently pulled the bullet out, fortunately still intact and sticky with blood. She dropped the bullet onto the floor and got to patching up the wound.

"This won’t be the best patch up; so as soon as we get out of here, we’re taking you over to Yuki’s." She told her sternly. Yuri coughed as she smirked slightly.

"Yuki’s gonna talk my fuckin’ ear off for getting shot twice. She’s goin’ to go off on me ‘bout how I should stop engaging in criminal activities like this otherwise I’ll keep getting hurt or some bullshit like that. _Merde_ , and to think I was having a nice night before this fuckin’ shootout happened." Yuri said, making Nako smile as she threaded her needle.

"And what were you doing that made it such a nice night?" She asked, taking the needle and starting to sew shut the wound on her arm.

"I was making out with Tooru Oikawa." Yuri mused, getting a gasp from Sakura and a smirk from Nako.

"Wait, like Tooru Oikawa of the Seijoh Brawlers? Cypher Tooru Oikawa?" Sakura looked at her in disbelief as Nako carefully snipped the stitches on her arm.

"I’m pretty sure we only know one Tooru Oikawa, Sakura. Damn Mitsuma, what made you so bold? Usually you wouldn’t even give him a second glance." Nako teased her. Despite Nako being a full-time weapons dealer, she was quite knowledgeable about medical procedures and taking care of wounds. 

"I don’t know. I had invited him over a drink and next thing I knew, he had me pinned down to the couch with a hand up my skirt. Funny how things move so fast." She said, making Nako scoff as she finished up the stitches.

"So that’s where those bruises came from. Considering how bloody you are right now, I would’ve assumed those were from that guy who had you in a chokehold." She said, taking a cotton wrap and wrapping it around Yuri’s arm, finishing up the bandaging on her arm with some medical tape.

"Well, at least the bullet didn’t strike bone. By the looks of it, your arm doesn’t seem broken." She said as she cleaned off her supplies to prep for the wound on Yuri’s ribs.

"Heh, he definitely won’t wanna fuck me after he sees me like this, all bloody and bruised." Yuri snickered as Sakura shook her head in disbelief.

"That’s what you're concerned about?! What about the fact that you just killed half of the entire Nohebi clan?! What about the fact that you got SHOT?!" Sakura exclaimed, which made Nako smile as she wiped the blood off the knife.

"You know Yuri by now, Sakura. She’s only worried about two things in life: making money and getting dick." She remarked, making Sakura break into a smile as she prepared to remove the bullet in Yuri’s ribs. She took an alcohol swab and cleaned up all the dried blood, making sure to look for any broken bones even with the amount of bruising on her skin.

"This one’s gonna hurt a lot more than your arm, so just squeeze Sakura’s hand if it hurts. I’ll try and make it quick." Nako pressed her lips together as Yuri nodded, gripping Sakura’s hand as she closed her eyes. She felt a burning pain flare up in her ribs as Nako dug the knife into her skin, cutting the wound open more to get access to the bullet, which had lodged itself deep inside of her. She gritted her teeth as she tried not to scream, squeezing Sakura’s hand tightly as Nako tried to carefully pull the bullet out with her tweezers.

"아이씨 _..._ " Nako muttered as she struggled to pull out the bullet without damaging any of Yuri’s organs. It was already in a precarious place that hadn’t punctured any of her organs, but one wrong move could be lethal for her. Yuri hissed as she felt the bullet slowly moving out; it felt like someone was dragging a hot iron along all her insides.

"Gotcha!" Nako pulled the bullet out, still intact and dropped it to the floor. Yuri let out an exhale as she let go of Sakura’s hand and relaxed her body.

"Thank god there’s only two." She muttered as Nako got to prepping her needle and thread. She looked over at Sakura, who’s brow was furrowed as she cleaned off the blood on her face.

"Sakura, why’d you call me? You coulda called D.K. or Cypher directly. Hell, I would’ve even expected Blackjack or Sly Fox." She asked, making Sakura bite her lip.

"Well, Koutarou doesn’t exactly know about this deal. You know how he is; he’s very careful about not becoming a liability. Neither do the others; if D.K. knew Nako was dealing with Nohebi, he’d never let her go through with it." Sakura said, twiddling her fingers as Nako frowned slightly at the mention of Nekoma Crew’s leader.

"I thought you and D.K. weren’t together?" Yuri asked, raising one eyebrow with a mischievous smirk. Nako looked away as she threaded her needle, her brow creasing.

"I told you before. It’s complicated." She said, sighing as she started doing her stitches. "Kuroo and I... I don’t even know what we are. I mean, he doesn’t treat me like shit and probably ain’t too bad in bed, but is that all there is to it?"

Nako shook her head as she continued to suture Yuri’s wound, but both girls could tell that it was bothering her. Yuri didn’t know what exactly happened to her in the six years she lived in Korea, but she knew how wary of people Nako was. She treated them as dispensable and rotated from one person to the next; it was never like Nako to keep good relations with someone for a long time unless they had some reward to offer in return. To have someone like Kuroo just come into her life was terrifying for a girl who had been closed off for so long.

"What about cops? Do we gotta worry about getting busted tonight?" Yuri asked, getting a shake of the head from Sakura.

"No. My receiver would’ve gone off if they picked up any signals from police cars in a 50km radius from us. Nohebi didn’t bring anything large like missile launchers, but they do have machine guns and semi-automatics." Sakura said as Nako finished up her stitches and cleaned off the supplies. The petite girl helped Yuri sit up, who groaned at the shift in position. As she was wrapping the cotton wrap around Yuri’s torso, she sighed as she looked around the empty warehouse.

"I remember all the rumors I heard about Sakanoshita when I first came into this market. To think this place used to be owned by one of the most infamous drug lords in Japan is still surreal to me. The fact that _I_ own this place now is even crazier." Nako said as she looked up at the swinging lights above.

"Nohebi brought four trucks, so I think we can leave them in the warehouse until tomorrow. I’ll go check to see if they brought any drugs as well." Sakura told her boss before she got up and headed out to the receiving dock of the warehouse. Nako finished up wrapping Yuri’s torso and helped the girl stand up, handing her back her blouse before she started cleaning up her supplies.

"So what are you going to do about Cypher?" Nako asked as Yuri buttoned up the soiled blouse, leaving it untucked and leaving the ribbon untied.

"We aren’t a thing yet, but I think we definitely moved somewhere today. Maybe I’ll let him hit it every now and then." She said, making Nako smile as she closed up the first aid kit.

"You can walk, right? I wouldn’t recommend doing any racing or police chases for another week since the stitches might bust open. I’ll take you over to Yuki’s tomorrow to get some antibiotics to prevent any possible infection and some painkillers." Nako asked as she stood up. Yuri nodded as she finished up on her blouse, looking at her blood splattered rings and bracelets.

"Yeah, I’m fine. These clothes are completely ruined though; blood is going to be a pain to get out of these diamonds." She said, frowning as she looked down at her delicate diamond rings. Nako rolled her eyes as she walked over to the incinerator and threw in her bloodied rubber gloves, carefully examining the nice pair of leather ones she already had on her hands of any blood evidence before heading to the office.

Yuri followed Nako up to her office on the platforms, where she stashed away the first aid kit before checking her reflection in a mirror. Yuri looked into the mirror and saw herself for the first time after she had arrived.

Blood was smeared on her cheek and forehead, with the blood sticking her bangs to her forehead. Her blouse was splattered with blood and guts, with one of her sleeves and the side of her torso being completely dyed a deep shade of crimson. She had various cuts and bruises on her hands from running around the platforms and on her neck, slightly hidden by smears of blood and forming bruises, were the red and purple marks of Tooru Oikawa. Her hand gently reached up and ran her finger along one on the edge of her collar, which was an angry shade of purple.

Nako was no better, with her right cheek turning a nasty shade of purple and her jaw sporting a cut from when she was kicked in the face. Blood ran down her left temple as she was gently cleaning another cut above her eyebrow. Her red leather jacket was dirty and covered in blood and shoe prints. Yuri couldn’t imagine the damage underneath all her clothes.

"Nako, we have a couple hundred kilos of drugs in one of the vans. I think it’s just a lot of meth and OxyContin." Sakura informed her boss as she ran in. Sakura looked even worse than Nako, with harsh purple bruises marring her warm honey skin and her long, light brown hair being stained with blood.

"Place that truck over to the loading dock and have a red seal on it. The other three will go over to the shipping dock. I’ll let Yuri have the drugs since those aren’t my forte. I’m more focused on the weapons he brought. Make sure everything is ready for tomorrow while Yuri and I take care of the bodies. It’s bad luck to leave a bunch of dead snakes lying around."

Yuri and Nako dragged their bodies out to the dock, where the high tide was coming out to slap against the docks. One by one, each body was dropped into the swirling waters, the waves swallowing them up as they disappeared into the depths of the sea.

Yuri sighed as she placed her hands on her hips, looking down at the dark water as her clothes were lightly sprayed with saltwater and the cold wind blew harshly against her skin.

"That’s the last of ‘em. Come on, we gotta spray down the floors so that we don’t scare your workers next morning." Yuri said as she turned around and headed back to the warehouse. Nako nodded as she rubbed her cold arms.

"How are you able to do this so easily? How many people did you kill in Europe?” Nako questioned her. Yuri’s eyes flashed momentarily of surprise before she sighed.

“What about you? You just shot a Yakuza boss down. Seems like you know from experience.” She replied back, her tone cold as ice as she shut down the former before she could ask any more questions.

Nako pursed her lips as she turned away, the comment bringing back memories for her six years in Korea. The walk back was quiet as both girls remembered their days outside of Japan, the days that would haunt them for as long as they lived.

The day Yuri left Japan stayed seared into her mind as she spent years struggling in France and Spain, barely scraping by in rundown apartments and attending university under disguise as a Japanese exchange student.

They finally entered the warehouse and Nako walked over to a control box near the entrance and pulled down a switch. Immediately, fire alarms went off as the sprinklers started spraying water down onto the warehouse, the blood slowly washing down the drains. Nako gently held her gloved hands out to clean them of any remaining blood before turning over to Yuri.

"That should take care of the blood. Come on, we gotta get home before your boyfriend starts to worry." Nako said, smiling softly as Yuri glared at her.

"Watch it, Tsurugi." She said as they walked out to their cars, where Sakura was already waiting inside Nako’s car. Yuri gave the smaller girl a little salute before swinging into her car, starting it up before backing out and driving back to her complex.

She grabbed her phone and dialed Oikawa; she’d need his help with the drugs tomorrow.

"Hey Tooru. We took care of everything and are heading back now. Are DK and Sly Fox with you?" She asked, leaning back into the leather seat as she made her way out of the docks.

"Oh thank God. I’m so glad you’re alive. I thought I had lost you." He breathed out in relief.

"I need you to come to Nako’s warehouse with me tomorrow. We got an unexpected drug load and Nako gave it to me for helping her tonight. I need you to help me sort it out." She said as she shifted gears and moved her speed up to 120km/h; she wasn’t looking to get caught by cops tonight but still wanted to get to her complex as possible. She hated wearing her soiled clothes and honestly needed to wash off after murdering an entire Yakuza clan.

"Drugs? What kind of deal was this? Minnie only deals with weapons." He asked, making her tsk as she turned around a corner.

"I’ll explain to you when I get there." She hung up on him before increasing her speed and making it back to the Shibuya Ward.

Yuri and Nako entered the complex as quietly as they could; nothing could break the peace more than a bunch of girls covered in blood. The three snuck over to the service elevator, trying to not attract the attention of any staff or residents as they made it up to Level 47. Luckily it was later in the night, so not as many people were wandering around and the three girls made it back to Yuri’s penthouse without getting caught.

"Cypher! We’re back!" Yuri called as she entered the apartment with Nako and Sakura, quickly shutting the door as they slipped off their heels and Yuri kicked off her sneakers.

Oikawa turned around and his eyes widened at the sight of the three girls. Kuroo was also in complete shock at the state the girls had entered the apartment. Oikawa immediately rushed over and took Yuri’s hands in his, examining her body closely, growing more and more alarmed as he took note of all the bruises and cuts on her body; most notably the two holes in her shirt: one on her sleeve and one on her ribs.

"What happened?! Yuri, did you get shot?!" Oikawa exclaimed, growing more worried at the amount of blood on her shirt and wondered how much of that blood was hers.

"Tsurugi-! What in the world-?! You said you had a weapons deal tonight, not a bloodbath!" Kuroo was fussing over Nako, who was trying to push him away as he worried over every bruise and cut on her body.

"Oikawa, I’m fine. Nako patched me up pretty good and tomorrow we’re heading to a doctor friend of mine to get some painkillers. Besides, I can take a few bullets." She assured him, trying to calm him down. She gently rested a hand on his arm and gave him a smile.

"Who was the deal with?" He asked, holding the side of her face and gently running his thumb over the cut on her cheek.

"The Nohebi Clan. We shot down a dozen snakes tonight." She said, making Kuroo and Oikawa scowl.

"You dealt with the Nohebi Clan? Minnie, you know how dangerous they are! You could’ve died! Why were you even involving yourself with that snake bastard in the first place?!" Kuroo exclaimed, making Nako sigh in annoyance as she crossed her arms. He immediately straightened up and gave her a serious look. "That’s it. You’re not going out to do deals anymore."

Nako scoffed as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Excuse me? Since when did you become my father? Last I checked, I was in charge of my own deals." She replied, frowning as Kuroo grabbed both of her hands and looked deep into her eyes.

"Nako, I’m worried one day you might not come back to me." He stated, his voice deadly serious as Nako’s expression softened slightly.

"D.K., let’s not do this here." She said, turning her head away. She turned over to Yuri and changed the subject, hoping to diffuse the tension.

"Hey Yuri, you got any clothes I can borrow? I feel and look like shit right now." She said, getting a nod from Yuri as she gestured for Sakura to come with her.

"Come on. I think I have some old clothes that were a little small on me." She said, pulling herself from Oikawa’s arms. She led them up to her personal bedroom and took them to her closet, handing them some clothes that were too small for her.

A few minutes later, they all came down in new clothes and cleaned off most of the blood on them. Nako gestured for Kuroo to come with her before giving Yuri a solemn nod.

"I’ll be here tomorrow morning. I’ll give Yuki a call." She said before dragging the tall raven haired man outside with her.

"I’ll be going too. See you later, Yuri!" Sakura greeted her before leaving as well. Once everyone had left, Oikawa turned over to her and gently lifted her chin.

"I know I can’t stop you or your work, but _please_ , don’t do that again." He pleaded as he leaned in, gently brushing noses with her.

"Sorry for ruining tonight." She murmured, but Oikawa shook his head. He reached up and stroked her cheek, placing his forehead against hers.

"Is it okay if I stay with you tonight? I’m just worried about you." He asked, gently grabbing her waist to pull her closer, being careful not to touch her wound. Yuri nodded as she gently leaned up to kiss him. This time, Oikawa kept the kisses soft and sweet, making sure she never felt any pain or discomfort.

Yuri really liked this side of Tooru Oikawa. This side that seemed to care so much for her, but also didn’t treat her as fragile. He knew she could handle things herself; he just cared too much to allow her to get hurt. His lips placing light butterfly kisses on her jaw as his hands caressed her body, almost as if he was assuring her he’d keep her safe.

She gently pulled away, still holding his face as he gently gripped her thigh.

“Tooru _..._ " She murmured his name softly, making Oikawa smile as he ran his fingers through her long black hair.

"You’re so cute..." Oikawa cooed as he stood up and led her back to her bedroom. Oikawa knew better than to try to push Yuri to have sex with him so he just got ready for bed and sleep with her. He pulled off his t-shirt and used a spare toothbrush she kept in her bathroom cabinets. He quickly washed up and climbed into bed with her, who had changed into an oversized t-shirt and a pair of running shorts.

Yuri was laying on his chest, his arms wrapped around her body as he rubbed her lower back.

"So what exactly happened with Nohebi? You didn’t tell me yet." He inquired, making her gently crook her head up to look at him.

"Fangs was being uncooperative since he had been planning to use this chance to get Nako alone so he could ask about his ex. You know about Mika Yamaka, right?" She explained, getting a nod from the brunette man.

" _Sí_. Mr. Sakanoshita had given me the assignment to kidnap her for ransom against Nohebi a few years ago, but she disappeared before I could. She went to the same college as Iwa, right? University of Tokyo? We never found out who took her and honestly, I’m not even sure if she’s still alive." Oikawa thought back to his days working under the Sakanoshita clan, when he used to run drugs for the infamous Yakuza boss and do any other dirty work that was required of him. He remembered the day Mr. Sakanoshita had called for Oikawa personally, where he had told him to kidnap Mika Yamaka, the girlfriend of Suguru Daishou. Mr. Sakanoshita was aware of Mika and her close relations to Daishou, as evidenced by the shiny white Lexus he had gotten her for her birthday.

Mr. Sakanoshita had provided him with a getaway car and Mika’s personal information, including her class schedule and her home address. However, before Oikawa could do anything, Mika disappeared without a trace. Daishou was furious and scoured all of Tokyo, demanding his precious Mika be returned to him. Mr. Sakanoshita was also upset, cursing whoever had taken Mika first. For years, Daishou had searched for her to no avail. Oikawa had to admit, whoever had taken Mika was extremely good at what they did and for all he knew Mika could’ve been dead and no one would’ve ever found out.

"It was Nako." Oikawa raised an eyebrow as he looked down at Yuri, who was tracing small circles into his skin. "Nako was the one that took her. She told me that Mika was tired of living in constant danger, so she took her away and hid her. Nako gave her a new identity and everything. She’s still in Japan and apparently just got a new job as a nurse for a local hospital."

Oikawa was in awe at this revelation. Nako Tsurugi had been the one to take her? He would have assumed it was some other Yakuza branch but it was the petite weapons dealer herself. As he thought more about it, the pieces started locking in place. Nako had been a small arms dealer at the time, a fresh arrival from Korea; Oikawa hadn’t even heard of her until one or two years ago, so Mr. Sakanoshita wouldn’t have known about Nako since she was so new to the Japanese weapons market. Aside from being known as an arms dealer from South Korea, Nako was essentially a blank slate; no one knew her or knew anything about her. The only people who knew her well were probably Yuri and Sakura.

"How did Fangs know Nako got to her first? Hell, I hadn’t even heard of Nako until a few years ago." Oikawa asked as Yuri shifted a bit and clung closer to his body for warmth.

"He didn’t know right away; it was only about a few months ago he had gotten info that Mika was last seen at a small local import office at the edge of the Arakawa City on the night she disappeared. He probably knew about Nako by then, but he didn’t think she was capable of doing something like that. Nako’s way scarier than what most people take her to be, so it was foolish for him to assume she couldn’t handle hiding one girl for years on end." Yuri reminisced back to the first time she met Nako; Nako was supposed to meet with a potential client at one of Yuri’s casinos and the petite young woman happened to catch Yuri’s eye. Nako stood out from the crowd despite dressing to blend in; her big amber eyes, small figure, and neatly done black hair, she seemed like an angel standing amongst demons. 

Yuri introduced herself and after playing one game of poker together, Yuri understood how cunning Nako truly was and never underestimated her again. That sweet smile and the frilly clothes she wore could fool everyone else, but they didn’t fool Yuri.

"Now that Fangs is dead, Mika can finally get her life back and not worry about the heavy burden of criminal activity on her shoulders anymore." Yuri sighed as she laid her head into the crook of Oikawa’s neck. "I wonder what that would feel like. What it would be like to have your biggest worry be about paying off house mortgages instead of getting caught by the NCB. As crazy as this sounds, I wouldn’t mind having to worry about filling out tax forms and being able to drink cheap wine on a Tuesday night after getting home from work."

Oikawa placed a soft kiss onto her head as he squeezed her shoulder.

"We can get there one day, Yuri. We’ll buy a house together and have as many little girls and boys as we want. We’ll go drink mimosas at Sunday brunch and take our kids out to the park to play." He told her, his voice soft and low as his fingers carded through her hair. Yuri scoffed as she buried her face in his neck. She looked up at him and frowned, sticking out her bottom lip with a slight pout as her eyes scrutinized him.

"Just because you’re in my bed doesn’t mean we’re an item yet, Cypher. You haven’t even asked me out on a proper date yet. What kind of gentleman caller are you supposed to be? Making the lady ask you out for a drink, having her kiss you first; for someone who boasts about having many women in his bed in Argentina for 6 years, you’re not very good at charming one." She imparted, her tone haughty as she scolded him. He gave her a lopsided smile and leaned down, giving her a soft peck on the lips.

"My apologies. How about I make it up to you and take you to Osaka for a few days? We can get away from Tokyo for a little bit, enjoy the beach, maybe a little vacation sex?" He crooned, making her smile softly.

"Fine. You get one pass because you’re handsome. Don’t think I’ll go easy on you next time, Tooru Oikawa. I’m a very high maintenance woman and only the best can handle me." She stated as his lips curled into a smirk.

"Is that so? Well, I look forward to the challenge." He placed a kiss on her temple before running his fingers through her hair. "Let’s rest now, cutie. You’ve had a pretty rough night."

His hand gently stroked her injury before moving to the small of her back, rubbing small circles into her skin with his thumb. Yuri closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax in his embrace. For the first time, she felt safe as she fell asleep, his arms protecting her as she slept. It felt nice to finally close her eyes and let go of her worries for one night, her mind growing fuzzy as her body got used to the warmth of his body and the musky scent of his cologne.

"Sweet dreams, pretty girl."

***

Yuri opened her eyes to the cloudy morning sky, her body facing the large window that had views of the Tokyo skyline. The room was cold, reminding her of the crisp, chill mornings she woke up to in France.

She shifted from her position to face Oikawa, who had had his chest firmly pressed against her back and his arms wrapped around her body. She looked upon Oikawa’s gentle face lying so close to hers, her nail gently running along his jaw before her hand moved down to trace the tattoos on his arm. Her fingers gently ran along the outline of the dragon on his right arm. He looked so ethereal when he was asleep. Oikawa shifted positions in his sleep, using both of his arms to pull her closer into his embrace. Yuri smiled softly as she placed a kiss on his nose. 

She carefully removed his arms off her body before getting off the bed and stretching out her arms, feeling the blood rush back to them as she got up to wash up for the morning.

"Mm... Yuri?" He murmured, still half asleep as his hands started searching for her body.

“Sleep tight, Tooru. I’m just gonna go shower real quick.” She whispered, stroking his brown hair before heading off to shower. 

Oikawa woke up to the smell of jasmine shampoo and clean water, yawning as he got up. He opened his eyes fully, looking around for Yuri. 

“Oikawa? Can you come help me?” 

Oikawa followed Yuri’s voice to the bathroom, where he saw Yuri, half-dressed in her bra and plaid flared pants. She was struggling to put on her bandages before she looked up to see him come in.

“Can you help me with my bandages? It’s really hard to do it on my own.” She held up the cotton bandages almost pitifully. Oikawa nodded as he walked over, placing a kiss on her forehead before taking the bandages. He started to wrap the bandages around her torso, keeping a gentle, but firm grip on them. 

“You should really be more careful, Yuri. Wounds like this don’t heal easily.” He warned her lightly before kissing her hair, taking in the smell of the fragrant smell of her jasmine shampoo along with the dizzying scent of her floral perfume. His fingers lightly grazed over the beautiful tattoo on her ribs, which had been disturbed by the wound.

“What? Are you my dad now?” She asked, pursing her lips as he did a second layer around her. 

“I’m just worried about you, Yuri. I don’t like it when pretty girls get hurt; if I were there, I would’ve shot them all down myself with no mercy.” He replied calmly, wrapping one more layer before taping it up. Oikawa then took the second roll and wrapped up the wound on her arm, wincing slightly at the red pinched skin. 

“You still think I’m pretty after seeing me all bloody like that?” She inquired, leaning her chin onto her other hand as Oikawa smirked to himself. 

“Yuri, I will find you gorgeous regardless. However, seeing you covered in blood after shooting down a bunch of snakes that deserved what they were getting? That’s a brand new level of hot.” He remarked, making Yuri smile softly, biting the inside of her cheek as he finished up. 

“Are you always this horny?” She scoffed before he leaned in, giving her a soft kiss on her nose. 

“Only for you, my dear.” He cooed before she got up and headed off to get changed. 

"How about Osaka? I promised you I’d take you on a date." He asked, seeing her emerge from her closet in a white turtleneck with complimentary cap-toe heels and a plaid purse.

"We can go to Osaka in a few weeks if you’d like. We can stay at a five star hotel and spend our days eating caviar and drinking champagne." She proposed as Oikawa approached her from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist as she put on her earrings.

"Sounds wonderful." He breathed as he closed his eyes, letting her get ready for the day while they still had the peace and quiet. He watched her apply on her makeup and pack her purse before the two headed out.

Yuri raised an eyebrow as she received a text from Nako, who told her she was unable to take her to the doctor’s since she had a pressing matter she had to attend to at her warehouse.

"Tooru, mind coming with me to the doctor’s? Nako’s being held up by something at her warehouse. We can go after we eat breakfast." She proposed as she opened up the fridge in her kitchen, Oikawa sitting across from her with his hands resting on the cool marble countertop of her breakfast bar.

“Sure, but shouldn’t we head to the hospital? I mean, it looked pretty bad when I was wrapping it up.” He replied, making her tsk in reply as she took out two chocolate pastries from her fridge and stuck them in her toaster. 

“No, that’s how you get caught, Tooru. I’d rather suffer with a bullet wound than go to the hospital. If Nako can do the same shit as the doctors can and it doesn’t land me a one-way ticket to jail, I can deal without the anesthesia. We’re just going to the doctor’s for some pills.” She said, starting up her coffee machine. “ _Café con leche o café bombón_?” 

“ _Café con leche, por favor_.” He cooed, smiling as he watched her grab the milk from her fridge. It was rare to hear her speak Spanish, but it was a treat when she did. Her Spanish sounded so silky and pleasing to the ear, despite it being slightly different from his. He could hear her speak Spanish with him for hours and he’d never get bored. 

“You should speak Spanish more often, sweetheart. It’s lovely to hear.” He smiled as Yuri made steamed milk for the coffee. “It’s nice knowing someone else who speaks Spanish other than me.”

“What? I thought you were having fun screwing D.K. over by speaking Spanish with him. I’d assumed he would’ve been half-fluent by now.” She said, making him laugh as she turned around. She smiled as she walked over to the opposite side of the breakfast bar. 

“Very funny, Suma. You’d think so, but all he’s picked up is _amigo_ and _hola_. Seriously, after all the Spanish I’ve spoken to him and he’s only picked up two words?” He chuckled as he leaned his cheek against his hand. He could really get used to quiet mornings like this with Yuri Mitsuma. 

“Nako knows how to say _me cago en tu puta madre_. I’m so glad she’s finally taking after me.” Yuri beamed, almost sounding like a proud mother.

“Lucky girl. She knows how to say ‘I shit on your fucking mother’ in Spanish.” Oikawa teased as Yuri smiled, tilting her head up in satisfaction.

“I know right? She’s learning so much from me.” She turned around upon hearing the toaster ding, grabbing the two _pains au chocolat_ and placing them on plates for them. She finished up their coffees, adding equal parts of steamed milk and coffee into Oikawa’s and topping off a small cup of straight espresso with a touch of milk for hers. 

She handed Oikawa the _pain_ and his coffee, making sure to have sweetener for his coffee. 

“Sorry it’s a bit small for breakfast; I have to go grocery shopping after we finish up some errands.” She said, before raising her tiny espresso cup slightly. “Cheers, Tooru _._ ”

Oikawa poured in his sweetener and stirred up his small cappuccino cup, his eyes on Yuri as she took quiet sips of her much smaller and darker looking drink. 

“Let me guess; the French and Spaniards don’t usually take their coffee with a lot of milk?” He asked, making her smile as she bit her lip. 

“ _Oui_ . It’s more of a force of habit for me; drinking anything that isn’t straight espresso is so strange now.” She said, putting down the cup to take a bite of her _pain_. 

“These aren’t as good as the ones I used to get in Paris, but they’re pretty decent for _pains au chocolat_ made in Japan. I used to ride my bike out to this tiny little shop in an alley near the Latin Quarter to get pastries every morning. The owners were always so nice to me despite my shit French.” She mused, a wistful smile on her face as she remembered the few happy memories she had in Paris. 

“You never told me what you did during your time in Paris. What was it like?” He inquired, taking a bite out of the _pain_ . The light, flaky layers of puff pastry crunched in his mouth, an explosion of butter coating his tongue before being replaced by the taste of the rich chunks of chocolate. The chocolate flavor went extremely well with his light and creamy _café con leche_ , bringing out the deep notes of coffee in the espresso and complimenting the sweet drink. 

Yuri paused for a moment, taking a long sip of her coffee as a way to give her time to think about the question. Did she really trust him enough to let him know about her years in Paris? The years she spent living in fear of her life and running away?

“ _C'était pourri_.” She replied, making him look at her in confusion. She smiled at him, shrugging as she looked away and finished up her coffee. “Now it’s up to you to figure out what I said.”

Oikawa groaned as Yuri took another bite, looking out at the brightening horizon. 

“Seriously, Mitsuma? You little minx.” He gave her a little smirk as she gave him no mind, finishing up her chocolate pastry. 

“Hm, I like that. Keep it up.” She replied as Oikawa scoffed; he could see her amused smile as she went to go grab a glass of water.

“So, you gonna tell me about what happened in Argentina?” Yuri looked up to see a trace of fear dash by his eyes before he smirked at her, shaking his head as he finished up his breakfast.

“Ladies first. I’ll talk when you do.” He said, which made her shrug as she continued to drink her water. 

“What a shame. I thought I took you for one who likes to hash out their life story to complete strangers on the street.” She mused, making Oikawa chuckle as he shook his head.

“That’d make my name pretty useless then, huh? A man named Cypher who reveals all of his tricks and secrets to a woman he has yet to know? I don’t think so, Yuri.” He winked at her as he walked over to the sink to wash his dishes. “You’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that to get to know me.”

“Same goes for you, Tooru. A few kisses aren’t enough to get me to tell you about my years in Europe.” She remarked, making him smirk as he placed the dish onto the drying rack and drying off his hands. He walked over to her, preparing to pull some move on her when she turned him around and pinned him to her counter, mimicking the move he had pulled on her at the race a few weeks ago. Yuri scoffed as she hooked a finger around the gold cross chain he had around his neck, pulling him closer and keeping barely a centimeter of space between their lips. 

“Wanna kiss me?” She cooed, making him lick his lips as one hand clung onto her waist. She grinned as he leaned in, almost brushing his lips against hers before she pulled away. “How bout nah?”

Oikawa looked at her incredulously as she walked over to grab her purse. 

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Suma. Do that again and I might rail you against the counter next time.” He called out, making her bite her lip as she slipped on her dark sunglasses. She crossed her arms as her coral painted lips curled into a challenging smile. 

“I look forward to it, Cypher.” Oikawa stuck out his tongue as he grinned, following after her as she opened the door of her apartment. They took the elevator down to the garages, Oikawa still a little surprised by how bold she was.

"My car or yours?" He asked as the doors opened with a pleasant ding.

"Mine, but you’re driving. It’d be the first time you would’ve driven a foreign car, right?" She reached into her purse and dropped a pair of car keys into his hand. "Plus, I’m still feeling a bit sore."

Oikawa grinned as they approached her car, the shiny white Porsche gleaming under the harsh lights. He unlocked it and opened the door for her, letting her get in before he did. He felt his body immediately sink into the seat of the car before slightly adjusting it back to accommodate his long legs. The car was smaller than what he was used to, but screamed that it was a solely racing car just with its sleek design and its lightweight body.

"And where might this doctor be?" He asked, looking over at her as she pulled out her phone to check her messages.

"She’s in the Ueno District. Just go around the palace and take the Ueno line. I’ll show you from there." She replied as Oikawa started up the car and the two rolled out of the garage. 

Yuri had connected her phone to the aux of her stereo, which was now blasting some slow tempo R&B as they headed up onto the bustling Omotesando street. 

_“♫ … Ooh, who would’ve thought I’d get you?... ♫”_

The slow, sensual English lyrics made Oikawa relax his speed as he took his hand off the gear shift to place it on her thigh, his fingers stroking the fabric of her inner thigh. Yuri looked down at his fingers, unamused and slapped away his hand.

“ _♫… Everything I need’s between those thighs… ♫”_

“You wound me, my dear. Here you are, rejecting my love…!” He expressed dramatically. Yuri scoffed as she rolled her eyes. 

“You are disgusting and the scum of society. Touch me again and I’ll wound something other than your overdramatic ass.” She looked away, quite miffed as Oikawa pouted.

“And here I thought we were getting along…” Oikawa muttered as he returned his hand to the steering wheel.

“We were until you decided to be a creep. Besides, what were you going to do? I’m wearing pants.” Yuri shook her head as she returned her attention to the busy shopping district, her eyes following some tastefully dressed street models as they were posing for pictures.

“Can we restart and go back to that wonderful energy we had at breakfast?” He proposed.

“When I pulled on your necklace and almost let you kiss me? Nah, you ruined the mood.” Yuri replied, smirking as she remembered that brief moment of tension between them.

“Okay, okay. How about I take you out on a date today to make it up to you? I know a place in Yokohama City where we can go street shopping.” He offered her, glancing briefly over at her in apology. Yuri sighed before nodding.

“Fine, but you’re paying. Your despicable actions will be excused if I have a good time. Honestly, it’s men like you that I want to throw to the wolves of misguided social justice.” She smiled gleefully as Oikawa chuckled, making a right turn. 

“And I’m the overdramatic one? Mitsuma my dear, you sounded like a Shakespearean narrator.” Yuri looked over at him in mock shock as she placed a hand on her chest.

“You know what Shakespeare is?! Oh my God, you are a little cultured!” She then smiled ruefully at him. “Too bad you can’t do basic math.”

“Okay, first off: of course I know Shakespeare! Just cause I didn’t go to Europe like you doesn’t mean I’m some dumbass hobo from the countryside! Second off, it was one time! I blanked out for a minute and Iwa ended up answering you anyways!” He complained, making her snicker as she remembered the one time she had asked him about a basic percentage problem and Iwaizumi had answered before he could finish thinking about it.

“Once you get onto Hakusan-dori, you’re gonna keep driving until you reach the Namboku Line where you’ll turn right. It’s gonna become Kototoi-dori after a while. Then you’ll turn right on Nishikata. Take a right and the first left and you’ll be there. The office is about half a kilometer after you turn.” She instructed him as he took the turn onto Hakusan-dori Avenue. 

The white Porsche finally arrived at a small pharmacy, placed on a quiet street in the usually busy tourist district. Oikawa got out to open the door for Yuri, who’s manicured hand grabbed his as he helped her out of the car. After locking it up, the two headed inside, where there seemed to be no customers inside.

"Yuki! It’s Yuri!" She called out, which made a brunette woman pop out from the doors behind the desk. Oikawa stuffed his hands into his pockets as he looked around; the pharmacy looked just as pristine and clean as a hospital.

The woman, Yuki, was of average height and stood shorter than Yuri. She had long, curly dark brown hair, which was tied into a ponytail save for a few curls around her face. She had big brown eyes that made her seem so warm and inviting, quite a contrast to Yuri’s cold blue eyes.

"What trouble did you get into this time?" She asked, her expression unamused as Yuri gave her a look of mock-offense.

"What are you talking about? I never get into trouble! I can’t believe that you, one of my dearest friends, would ever think of such a thing!" Yuri shook her head dramatically as she covered her mouth, seemingly upset from Yuki’s question. Yuki shook her head as she pursed her lips, unfazed by Yuri’s little act as Oikawa snickered. 

Yuki rolled her eyes as she turned her attention to Oikawa. She smiled at him sweetly as she introduced herself.

"I’m Yuki Kanagawa. I don’t believe we’ve met before." She said as Oikawa bowed his head slightly in greeting.

"Tooru Oikawa. I’m Yuri’s boyfriend." He said, smiling as Yuri gave him the side eye.

"Oh please, you are definitely not on the boyfriend level yet. If anything, you just upgraded to side-piece status." She huffed, making Oikawa smirk as he winked at Yuki.

"Yeah, let’s go with boyfriend." He grinned as Yuri smacked his arm, making Yuki nod as she watched the couple in amusement. 

"So, what brings you here? Last time you came by, you and Nako had thrown some man off a boat and Nako had to get a bunch of rubbing alcohol to get rid of the fingerprints." She asked, with Yuri shushing her in response.

" _Áy_ , stop airing out my dirty laundry in front of Oikawa. Geez, you’re just as bad as Nako sometimes." She frowned as Yuki laughed. "I happened to get shot yesterday while shooting a Yakuza clan off the face of the earth and I need some stuff to help me heal faster."

Yuki lost her smile as she gave Yuri an incredulous look. She blinked several times as her mouth gaped open.

"You got WHAT?! What do you mean you got shot yesterday?! What happened?! Why are you here instead of a hospital?!" She exclaimed, getting an eye roll from Yuri.

"Okay, I can explain. One, it was like twelve against one; it isn’t easy to dodge every bullet when twelve guys are shooting at you all at once. Two, Nako sewed me up afterwards. And three," Yuri sighed before raising her voice. "I’d be a fucking CRIMINAL, Yuki! I can’t just walk into a hospital covered in blood and be like, ‘Hey doc, got into a little scuffle and need you to patch me up!’! I’d get arrested before I even reached the ER!"

Yuki shook her head as she rubbed her temples. However, the doctor didn’t seem surprised by Yuri’s reaction, which made Oikawa wonder how many of these incidents had to have happened for her to have such an exasperated reaction.

"Okay, let’s get you to the back and we’ll see how well Nako took care of things. If there’s nothing wrong, I’ll give you some painkillers and you can be on your way." She said, taking Yuri and Oikawa to the office behind the counter.

Oikawa took a seat while Yuki examined Yuri’s stitches, which looked simply awful as she removed the cotton wraps around them. Oikawa cursed himself quietly as he looked at the reddened and bloody wounds. He should’ve gone with her when she told him a deal had gone wrong.

"Hm... it seems like Nako did an excellent job with the suturing. She even used a proper surgeon’s knot. She sanitized everything to make sure it was sterile, right?" Yuki asked, getting a nod from Yuri.

"She was really careful with making sure everything was clean. She did tell me to pick up some antibiotics for infection though. We did do this whole operation on a warehouse floor." She imparted as Yuki nodded, making sure the wounds were going to heal up properly.

"Well, she’s right for suggesting that. I can’t imagine the amount of blood and guts you were around after having killed a whole Yakuza clan. I’ll give you those antibiotics along with some acetaminophen. That should help with any pain you feel. If it gets worse and you see infection, just come back to me and we’ll see what needs to be done. Meanwhile, keep your boyfriend around. You’ll need to change those wraps pretty frequently throughout the day to prevent infection as well." Yuki affirmed, making Yuri glare at her as Oikawa smirked.

"You’re in thin ice, Kanagawa." She snapped as Yuki smiled at her. Yuri’s expression softened when her eyes landed on a picture frame on the doctor’s desk.

"By the way, how are Daichi and the kids?" She asked, making Yuki smile as she turned around to look at the picture. It was of Yuki with a little girl and a man holding a baby.

"They’re doing good. Daichi recently got promoted to Detective a few weeks ago. Aiko’s going to start Kindergarten soon so we’re looking around for a nanny to take care of her and Kenshin while we’re both at work." Yuki smiled as her thumb brushed over the little girl’s face in the photo. "You know, Aiko really misses her Auntie Yuri. She looks up to you a lot."

Yuri scoffed softly as she looked away, smiling bitterly as she looked down at her manicured nails.

"There isn’t much to look up to. That kid should appreciate her mom’s work more than mine. Brat." She said, remembering how the little girl’s expression lit up every time they met.

"You know how kids are; they think everything their mom does is lame. Besides, she thinks you’re secretly a princess with all the fancy clothes you wear." Yuki replied as she wrapped Yuri up with a new roll of cotton wraps. 

“Oh God, that’s the last thing I’d want. Having a child idolize me? No no, we have to remind that child that her mommy saves lives while her auntie ruins them. I refuse to be the reason why your sweet little girl goes through an early rebellious phase.” Yuri chided her as Yuki scoffed. 

“Oh, and Oikawa?” Oikawa looked up at the doctor, who was pulling the cotton wrap over Yuri’s lily tattoo. 

“Keep Yuri out of trouble for another week or so. I don’t want those stitches bursting and risking a possible open wound. You might wanna stay over for a few nights since I know this girl lives alone and is too stubborn to ask for help half the time.” She told him sternly, wrapping another layer of cotton over the stitches.

“You got it, Doc.” He replied, nodding as Yuki finished wrapping up Yuri.

After she had finished, she led the two out and went to get the medicine. Oikawa looked over Yuri, who was putting her sunglasses on.

"You’re friends with a pharmacist and her husband is a police officer?" He asked, Yuri nodding as she closed up her purse.

"Her fiancé. He has no idea what I do for a living though. He just thinks I’m one of Yuki’s rich friends from college." She explained. Oikawa gave her a curious look as she swept her hair behind her ear.

"I couldn’t live my life like Yuki does. Working a 9-5 job while raising two children? I don’t think I could handle that kind of responsibility." She looked over to see Yuki emerge from the back, holding two neatly sealed white paper bags with the medicine neatly written in black marker.

"The antibiotics and the painkillers are in the first bag. Take the antibiotics once a day and the painkillers are to be taken after meals if you feel pain. The other bag has some cotton rolls along with disinfectants. Change out your bandages at least four times a day; you might have to change it out more if the bandage happens to get wet." She explained as Yuri took the bags. She sighed before giving Yuri a sweet smile.

"Just be careful out there, alright Yuri?" She asked as Yuri gave her one last look.

"I will. If not, I always have you to patch me up. _Au revoir, ma amie_." She said, waving her goodbye as the couple headed out and piled into her car. Oikawa turned on the engine and looked over at Yuri, who was placing the bags onto the floor.

"So where to?" He inquired, leaning back into the leather seat as his arm rested lazily on the wheel.

"Tokyo Port. Dock 12, Warehouse 17. We have business to attend to." She crossed her arms as he backed out and headed off to their next location. 

The drive lasted for just over thirty minutes, with the couple being greeted by the smell of salt and kelp as soon as they stepped out of the car. They parked by Nako’s SLR, which had the company of Kuroo’s 350Z; Kuroo seemed to be keeping his word on being extra vigilant for Nako. 

“Minnie! We’re here!” Yuri called out, catching the attention of Nako and Kuroo. The two turned around to see Oikawa and Yuri, the latter looking perfectly fine after being shot twice the previous night. 

Nako pulled down her own sunglasses to look at the two, checking Yuri for any visible marks on her skin, the sound of the latter’s heels grew louder as they approached the two. 

“You’re just in time. I’m assuming Yuki said you were good to go?” She readjusted her sunglasses as Yuri nodded. She then led her over to the loading dock, where a dark van had been sectioned off with red tape marking it. Nako removed the tape and opened up the doors of the van, revealing hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine and opioids all wrapped up several layers of plastic. Oikawa and Kuroo scowled upon seeing the copious amounts of narcotics; Nohebi usually wasn’t too serious of a threat in the Japanese drug market but with the inventory that they had here alone definitely made the two suspicious. 

“Sakura had it all weighed out before you got here; 95.45 kilos of meth and 103.67 kilos of OxyContin. The meth is unrefined and had been cooked hastily; it’s worth less than the weapons I got in the other three vans so it’s all yours, Mitsuma.” She explained before walking away to attend to other business. Kuroo leaned down and inspected a block of yellowed meth. 

“She’s right; this meth is nowhere near worth all the modified weapons she got. This ain’t gonna sell too well unless it’s to the addicts out on the streets. OxyContin is too common to be worth much. What are you gonna do about it, Diamond? This load can’t be worth more than a couple hundred thousand yen.” He looked over to Yuri, whose brow was creased as she thought of a way to repurpose the drugs. 

“The clients in my casinos can definitely tell what’s high-cut or not, whether it be drugs or alcohol. I think this is gonna have to go to the VIP rooms in the nightclub I have in Yokohama City. The clubbers there won’t be complaining as much there since they’re too busy trying to get high as easily as they can.” She concluded before taking out her phone. “Tooru, you and D.K. take a look and see how much I can charge; I’ll call an errand boy of mine to come pick it up.” 

Yuri walked away from the two as she placed the phone to her ear, waiting patiently as the phone rang. After a few moments, the call got picked up and she was greeted with a “ _Hello_?”

“Kei Tsukishima. I need a favor.” She smiled upon hearing the groan on the other line. 

“ _Can’t you call someone else to do your shit for you? I’m a fucking college student for God’s Sake_!” He complained as Yuri chuckled. 

“Ah, but Tsukki, it’s just a favor. All I need you to do is to drive over some cargo to my location in Yokohama City; consider it to be another way for you to pay back the debt you owe me for keeping you and Yamaguchi out of jail.” She replied coyly. Tsukishima grumbled as he unwillingly agreed to her demand.

“ _When do you need this done_?” His voice was monotonous as he sighed in exasperation. 

“Just before midnight of tonight, Tsukki. I’ll send you the address after your classes are over.” She crooned, getting a gruff “ _Whatever_ ” before he hung up. 

As Yuri was on the phone, Nako had left for her office. After she had locked the door and ensured that her blinds were all closed, she walked over to her bookshelf, which held all the records of her warehouse. She carefully chose the book with gold markings on its spine and pulled it out, causing the bookcase to release a creaking sound before the edge popped open to reveal a secret room behind it. 

Nako pushed open the heavy wooden frame, smirking as she leaned down towards the floor. 

“Comfortable?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALL TRANSLATIONS: 
> 
> Spanish  
> por favor - please  
> sí - yes  
> Café con leche o café bombón - café con leche or café bombón  
> me cago en tu puta madre - i shit on your fucking mother (essentially means fuck you)  
> Áy - hey
> 
> French  
> merde - shit  
> oui - yes  
> C'était pourri - it was rotten
> 
> Korean  
> 개자씨 - son of a bitch  
> 아이씨 - shit/damn
> 
> *the song playing in the car is Get You by Daniel Caesar ft. Kali Uchis!*


End file.
